Legend of Korra: Rebuilding Republic City
by BookieNovels
Summary: With Amon gone Team Avatar and their allies are working together to bring back peace to Republic City. But with Equalist movements still at large, will they be successful? New challenges faces Korra during her path to becoming a fully realized avatar, and obstacles impact the group in the most unpredictable ways possible. MAKORRA main couple AND IROSAMI recurring couple
1. Chapter One: Peace Cut Short

**Hey guys! This is my first Fanfic for TLA: The Legend of Korra (Kinda risky to make another fanfic, since I'm writing so many other large projects, but I LOVE the show, so I can't help it). Basically, it's kind of an outtake on how I imagine the second season to be like, since the actual season two won't be out in a while. Huge Korra/ Mako and Asami/ Iroh shipper! Anyway, in MY version of Season 2, it will focus on the restoration of Republic City against the remaining Equalists. It will also focus on Korra's struggle as she trains to become a fully realized avatar. And I'm not getting rid of the Pro Bending Games. They were pretty epic to me. Asami will also have to deal with her father, and Tenzin will be guiding Team Avatar like he always does. I won't be revealing anything about Zuko's mom or other flashbacks from the other Team Avatar, because I want that to be kept original from the actual writers of The Last Airbender. Trying to make this story as realistic as possible, something that could be seen in the actual season. Hope you enjoy! I'm taking requests too, if you want to add a new OC with a plot suitable for the one I'm going for right now. Not sure whether or not to add OC villains yet though. Hope you enjoy! :D**

The feeling was exhilarating. Lin concentrated thoroughly into her bending, and relief washed over her as the rocks around Katara's home began to rise into the air on her command. She remembered the awful feeling of having her bending taken away by Lord Amon, as if someone was reaching into her roughly, pulling against each and every one of her muscles until she shook. It was almost like Amon was plucking her most sensitive veins like a harp inside her body. And when it was over, all she felt was the emptiness from her stripped bending, a painful void cratered into her stomach. Lord Amon was certainly cruel, using bloodbending to terrorize Republic City. But now, Korra, finally being able to unlock her Avatar State, was able to undo Amon's curse, and Lin's revived bending made the ex Chief of Police glad that it wasn't at all permanent. It made her filled with hope.

Tenzin began to ascend up the small step of stairs, smiling down over the young teenage waterbender. "I am so proud of you… Avatar Korra."

Korra smiled back at him, her blue eyes shimmering with victory.

Everyone was looking at the scene with bright smiles, except for Bolin, who appeared rather shocked. His green eyes were wide open, and he was hunched over, mouth dropping. Then a large, familiar grin spread ear to ear across his face, and he began to jump wildly in the air. "You did it, Korra! I knew you'd do it!" He pumped his fists in the air, and he blew loud whistles. "Let's hear it for Korra and her kick butt Avatar state!"

Everyone's smiles faded, their happy expressions replaced with that of annoyance. Then they all chuckled. It was _Bolin _after all.

"Go Avatar!" Meelo joined in, racing into the scene on an air ball with a toothy grin. He airbended through a loud fart, and his body flew into the air. "Yeah! This calls for a celebration!"

The group exchanged agreeing nods, before turning their heads towards another hysterical laugh. It erupted suddenly out of nowhere, and the attention was easily grabbed by the one who caused such noise. "Did I hear celebration?" Bumi asked, walking up towards the group from the ship. His messy brown hair swayed with the wind, his United Forces Uniform wrinkling slightly on his lean form. He slammed his knuckles against his palm, his mouth widening into a grin. "WAHHHHOOO!"

Tenzin frowned, as he turned to Katara. Katara smiled warmly up at Tenzin, a chuckle rising from her throat. "Your brother really hasn't changed."

Tenzin slammed his palm against his forehead. "I agree. He still sounds like that from the age of 5, when he was constantly having tantrums." His voice was lowered, as he said it in a rather annoying and grudging tone. Then he shook his head and smiled. _But if he weren't like that, he wouldn't be Bumi._

Korra ran over to Mako's side, as he pulled her into an affectionate embrace. Asami watched from a few feet away, her eyes shimmering with a hint of sadness. She couldn't help but remember the times when the girl in Mako's arms would be _her. _A small pain stung her chest, her eyes never leaving the couple. Korra caught Asami's glance, as she pulled away from Mako, walking up to her. The water tribe girl could not help but feel guilty. She had kissed Mako while he was with Asami, but that was all due to her impulsiveness. And Asami had already been through so much… going through her father's betrayal, losing her mother… and now she had lost Mako as well because of her. "Asami…. I'm really sorry if…."

Suddenly, Asami took Korra's hand, placing it in between her gloved ones gently. "It's okay." She gave the couple a reassuring smile. "After everything you two have been through—what we all have been through—you deserve happiness. And you see it in each other." Her tone was warm, loving, and most certainly comforting.

Korra smiled at Asami, and then back at Mako, as they embraced once more. Mako turned to Asami, gently placing his hand over her shoulder, while still keeping his other arm around Korra's waist. "Thank you, Asami."

Asami smiled back at him. "You're welcome."

Ikki and Jinora quickly ran out of Katara's home with Pema walking patiently behind them, as they raced over to Tenzin, grabbing his robes for his attention. "Dad, are we really having a party?"

Tenzin smiled, patting Ikki on the head gently. "If that's what you would like."

Jinora quickly butted in. "Are you kidding? After all this tension, we NEED a party."

Bumi raised a finger. "I like how my niece thinks", he said at Jinora, winking. Pema and Katara glanced at each other, before turning back to the group. "Well, then I guess we better start cooking something up to eat."

"Yay!" Meelo, Jinora, Ikki, Bumi, and Bolin cheered, their voices ringing throughout the pleasant cool air. The rest of the group joined in with giggles, entertained by their enthusiasm.

"Ms. Katara, you are an awesome mom", Bolin informed her. Katara chuckled as she and Pema went back inside.

Bumi placed his hand on his hip, his grin getting even wider. "Add one more guest on the party list", he informed everyone. They all gave him a skeptical look, as Bumi began to laugh. Footsteps sounded through the steady crunching of snow, as a handsome man with gaunt cheekbones and combed back hair appeared from the steepness of the hill, smiling back at them. He wore the same uniform as Bumi, one that ranked him as a general.

"General Iroh!" Bolin exclaimed happily, his eyes squinting as he beamed.

"Hello again, Avatar Korra", Iroh addressed. Korra nodded back at him approvingly. "Hello."

Bumi suddenly slammed his hand against Iroh's back, as Iroh stumbled slightly, eyes widened in shock. Bumi began to laugh. "Ahhh, couldn't leave my comrade hanging…." He began. He winked at Iroh. "Literally."

Iroh smirked, shaking his head. "Thank you again. I didn't know how to get down from that flag without your ship passing by."

Tenzin turned to everyone, gesturing them with his hand. "Come on everyone. Let's go inside, before we all get stuck in this cold."

* * *

"The food is ready!" Pema announced. Everyone gathered at the dinner table, taking in the mouth watering aroma from the appetizing meals. Bolin eagerly had his silverware ready, waiting for his platter to arrive in front of him.

The children were laughing and teasing each other, creating a euphonic noise of joy throughout the room, adding a warmer atmosphere. Across the table, Mako and Bumi had somehow challenged each other to an arm wrestle, as they both began to shake with their strength.

"Come on Mako!" Korra cheered on.

"Go big bro!" Bolin chimed in, as the two were watching the game eagerly.

"Grrr…." Mako and Bumi both growled. After a while of struggling, Bumi successfully slammed Mako's fist onto the table, as he shot up, cheering to himself. "WAHOO!"

Mako grumbled, making sure his fingers weren't broken by cracking them together. Then he smirked. "You are a wild man, aren't you?" His sharp eyebrows turned quizzical as Bumi began to cackle again. "Now where in the world do you get that crazy nonsense from?"

Bolin pointed at Bumi coolly, his eyes still on Mako. "I like this guy", he informed his brother. Suddenly, Mako pulled Bolin into a headlock, rubbing his knuckles against Bolin's spiky hair. "Hey cut it out!"

"If you like Bumi, then I should at least give you a reason to hate me", Mako joked. Bolin pulled away from Mako, punching his shoulder in a brotherly manner. "Hah!...Sucker." The two laughed along with Korra, as their meal was served, before Pema and Katara went around the table to serve everyone else. Their heads looked up as the door squeaked open, and Lin and Asami walked into the room, taking their seats.

"Where were you two?" Mako asked the both of them. Asami just looked at Mako rather worriedly, as she took a seat in between Lin and General Iroh. Her green eyes were distant, deep in her own thought, as Lin looked up at Mako. "It's a celebration. I think matters should be discussed later."

Bolin frowned. "But it seems like you told Asami."

"I think it was right for her to know her part", Lin said.

Iroh, who was silently observing the group, turned to Lin. "Does it have to do with helping clean up Republic City?" He wondered. "I've already asked the United Forces to extend their stay. There are still Equalist groups lurking about the city, and Bumi and I are both leading the mission."

Lin quickly joined into the conversation. "And we all should take part in this mission… Especially you Avatar Korra. You've got a lot of people in need of their bending back, and you're the only one who could help them."

Korra nodded. "Of course." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "But I still don't get it: How did Amon use Bloodbending to stop other's from using their bending?"

"That's not the issue right now", Mako informed Korra gently. "Amon got away. We still have to find him. He's still a threat to Korra knowing that he's still out there." His voice was filled with genuine concern, his posture overprotective when he mentioned Korra's safety. Korra placed her hand on Mako's shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Mako. We'll find him. It's just… there's so many questions that need to be answered."

Asami forced herself to follow along with the conversation, as she reached her hand out to grab the pot of tea. "Oh, I'm so sorry", she said suddenly. Iroh had also started for the tea, their fingers accidentally brushing against each other's.

"The apologies are mine", he said politely. His voice was rather boyish, but the maturity of his words left Asami in awe. Her cheeks began to burn beneath her skin, accidentally glancing at him. Iroh cleared his throat. _Did she always look this…. Pretty? _Iroh had encountered many beautiful women in his voyages, but she was something different. Her voice was so smooth, warm, and delicate, and her beauty was unique, with her dark locks falling over her shoulders, and her green eyes burning into his gold ones. He quickly turned away, dismissing the ideas of her that flowed through his head. Those weren't professional thoughts for a general in his ranking.

"We do know one person who can help us answer those questions", Lin said suddenly. "Thanks to Asami and Bolin, he's in prison right now."

Korra tilted her head in confusion for a moment, wondering who Lin was talking about. Then her eyes widened, as she turned to Asami. "Hiroshi."

Asami nodded slowly, her eyes dropping to her lap. "My father may know the answers we need." She looked up, eyes transitioning into a look of determination. "That's why I told Lin I would talk to him. He refuses to speak to any other official."

Everyone's eyes widened, as Mako spoke. "What? Asami are you sure?"

Asami nodded. "We might need it. There are still Equalist revolts against Korra. Even with Amon taking off, she's still in grave danger, Mako." Her voice was filled with seriousness and concern, as she stared at Mako intensely. "Don't you agree?"

Mako glanced at Asami with empathy, as he nodded. "Yes. I do. I'll go with you." He said this as if Asami had no choice but to say yes.

Lin turned to Korra. "Also there was unrest by the Mo Ce Sea. An explosion actually. Some Equalist equipment was washed ashore. You should check it out, Korra. There may be important information we can pick up from that."

Korra's eyes widened, and she shivered slightly. After the battle with Amon, and nearly losing her bending, it was hard for her to face another Equalist ordeal. And to think it still wasn't over…

"Okay. I'll go."

Mako's eyes widened with absolute worry, as he turned to Korra. Asami read his expression and sighed. "Mako. You should go with Korra instead." She knew Mako would be happier and more relieved that way. Mako turned to Asami, his expression rather guilty for offering her his help, then instead wanting to protect Korra. But he couldn't help it. It was just his instinct and his undeniable love for the avatar. "Asami are you sure…."

"I'll be fine", she reassured him almost immediately. "It's my father. I handled him before." When Mako still showed a look of concern to Asami, she forced herself to smile. "Mako, I mean it. I'll be fine."

"Alright", Mako said. "Be careful."

She nodded. "I'll be surrounded by security, and he'll be locked up in a cell. I think I'm safe enough."

Iroh was well aware observant. He was always able to analyze his surroundings and understand the severity of situations. And when he looked at the daughter of Hiroshi, he immediately accounted for the glint in her green eyes, and her rather distant expression. She was afraid… tense even. She was just trying hard not to show it. What he couldn't understand was why? There were many reasons frankly. Maybe because of the rather impolite gesture the Firebender made, or it was the fear of facing her father who had simply gone mad. Perhaps it was both.

"If you want, I'll accompany you, Miss Sato", Iroh suddenly informed her. "It would be my honor to." He raised his cup of tea, as if toasting to her, before taking a small sip.

"That's not necessary", Asami informed him.

Lin stared at the two for a moment. Then she spoke. "Actually, I believe it is necessary. Asami, if Mr. Sato does decide to speak, that information can be given to General Iroh directly and efficiently. From there, he can execute immediate procedures to the United Forces."

The redness in Asami's cheeks couldn't help but return. _General Iroh? Accompany me? _She wondered why she felt nervous and…. Shy. She was rather bold to ask Mako on a date after she had hit him with her moped. Maybe it was because he was higher ranking than her? His standards maybe?

"Anyway, I wanted all of us to enjoy this break now, because we're going to be really busy here on after", Lin informed everyone. "Tenzin and I have agreed that you all aid the council to help restore Republic City."

Korra's eyes dropped for a moment, as she thought to herself for a moment. She remembered when she first arrived to Republic City—A family was being threatened by a group of benders. There was already unrest in Republic City, even before the rise of the Equalist movement. "I'm going to help the best I can", she said with confidence. "Not just to remove the Equalists completely, but to ensure that peace can be maintained between the people here—bender or non bender." She stood up from the table, her hands still on the surface. "Now that I'm a fully realized Avatar, I have to start acting like one and do my duty."

Tenzin raised his finger, alerting her. "You're not fully realized yet, Korra", Tenzin informed her. "You still need training on controlling your avatar state."

Korra sighed wearily, frowning as she blew a strand of her dark brown hair away from her face. "Alright", she said lowly. "Something like that then."

"Alright, that's enough!" Meelo demanded rather cutely. "This is supposed to be a party, remember? Not all Equalist stuff." He banged his fists on the table, demanding everyone's attention.

"Yeah!" Ikki joined in. "For once, think of a day where you're not the Avatar, where we didn't have duties. Let's just have fun!"

Jinora shook her head, frowning at her siblings disapprovingly. "Your duties always stay with you, and it's your responsibilities to not stray from them." Ikki and Meelo scowled at Jinora's wisdom.

"What part of 'It's a party', do you not get?" Ikki asked her sarcastically. Jinora was about to say something, when Pema walked back into the room. "Anyone want more tea?"

"Over here, please", Asami informed her politely. Pema nodded, slowly walking over to her, as Katara cradled Rohan in her arms. Suddenly, Meelo rushed over to Pema, grabbing the kettle from her hands. "I'll do it!" he said urgently. He went over to Asami quickly, some of the tea spilling from its container, as he poured it into her cup. "Here you go, beautiful woman."

Asami couldn't help but giggle. "Thank you, handsome little boy", she cooed. She was quite flattered by the treatment Meelo was giving her. He was so young and innocent, it made her belly want to flop.

"Woohoo!" Meelo cheered, hopping in the air. "She likes me!"

Everyone began to chuckle, as Bolin raised his hand in the air. "Oh oh, me too please!"

Meelo walked over to Bolin, placing the kettle in front of him. "Here you go."

Bolin frowned. "Are you going to pour it for me?" he wondered out loud, as he scratched his head. Meelo gave him a rather deadly stare, leaning his face towards Bolin's. "Are you a beautiful woman?" he asked him.

Bolin shrugged. "Hmm… I might not be a woman, but I am beautiful".

Meelo pulled away, tilting his head in confusion. "Really? I don't see it."

"Hey!"

Meelo and the rest began to laugh loudly at Bolin, as Bolin playfully bowed his head down, whining. "You guys!"

* * *

Korra snuggled up peacefully under her pure white blanket, her hands folded under her cheek as she slept. The night was long, with the full moon shining in Korra's room through the open window. The white transparent curtain swayed mystically, in sync with the movement of the wind as the spring breeze swept through Air Temple Island. The wind sent chills up Korra's skin, as she pulled the covers up to her shoulders, snuggling her head against her light pillow.

As Korra slept thoroughly, a figure rose from the outside of the window, his silhouette intruding the image of the moon. He climbed into Korra's room, dressed in his Equalist uniform and night vision goggles. Quietly, he stalked over to her bed, until he stood right in front of the Avatar's sleeping form. Trying to keep his silence, he slipped his electrically charged glove onto his hand, before raising it up in the air.

_Bzzzz!_

The sound of the glove startled Korra as her eyes opened, reflecting the blue light from the electricity. The light radiated through her light brown skin as she instinctively attacked with a fire swipe, causing the Equalist to fly back, his body slamming against the wall. The flames extinguished in the air, and Korra agilely hopped out of her bed. "Who are you?" she demanded, rather than ask. Suddenly, she saw shadows of more silhouettes from the wall, as she turned around to find more Equalist members flowing in through her window. _The Equalist brought back up._

They surrounded her, as she fought them off with a combo of attacks. She attempted to high kick one of them in the face with a fire kick, when he grabbed her ankle roughly. Glaring, Korra swung her other foot at him, turning her whole body up in the air as her heel collided with his face. The Equalist was down in instance.

Another one swung a bola at her, which Korra stopped with a water attack, the molecules slicing the center of the weapon. It flew on either side of her, letting her be. Her hair was flying wildly, having undone her traditional hair loops, as she glanced every direction she could possibly look at. They all had her surrounded, and the night appeared darker than usual. The only light she had was the moon, and even that was dim compared to the haunting glow from the Equalists night vision goggles.

"Get away from me!" she yelled out threateningly, as she fired another blast of flames towards the Equalists. All were knocked out, or it appeared, as Korra raced desperately towards the door. She made it past the frame of the doorway, her feet thumping against the rugged floor of the Air Temple. She turned slightly, and gasped. Blue light flashed in her eyes again, as one of the Equalists who dodged her last attack, charged for her with his electrified kali sticks, swinging it down onto her back. Korra flinched, knowing it would hit her, when suddenly, the light was blocked by a silhouette of another man who had thrown himself over Korra. _Was it an Equalist?_

"Grahh!" Mako yelled out as the kali stick hit his shoulder, electrocuting his whole body.

Korra gasped, covering her gaped mouth with her hand. Then she placed it down, holding it out to him desperately. "Mako!"

Mako fell onto the floor, his body trembling with weakness, as Korra glared at the Equalist, beads of sweat trailing down her face. "You hurt him!" she accused angrily. She angrily swung her fist forward, a ball of fire igniting from her knuckles, as she shot it towards the Equalist, sending him flying across Korra's room and back out the window. Frightened, the other Equalists followed after their comrade, disappearing out of sight once the curtains billowed over them. Korra raced towards the window, attempting to follow after the culprit who hurt Mako, when she heard his voice whispering weakly.

"Korra…"

Korra turned around swiftly, her eyes widened in horror. "Mako…." She quickly ran back over to him. "Mako!" She kneeled by his side, cradling him in her arms. "It's alright," she informed him. She placed her hands over his shoulders, as water began to spread onto his skin, glowing a warm, light blue hue. Finally, it faded, and Mako was able to stand up again. "Thanks for healing me", he said.

"Thanks for saving me", Korra informed him, as he pulled her into an embrace.

Mako began to ask Korra a flurry of questions. "What happened? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Korra forced herself to smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Doors began to slam open and shut, as Tenzin ran down the hall towards them, followed by Bolin and Asami. "What happened?" he asked them harshly, worry spreading across his face, reflecting onto Bolin's and Asami's.

"Korra was ambushed by a group of Equalists", Mako informed him. The three gasped, as they turned their heads to Korra, waiting for further details. With hesitance, Korra decided to give them the information.

"They snuck up on me while I was sleeping", Korra said. "But I'm fine. Mako saved me."

Asami turned to the window, walking over as she closed it. "That should help solve the problem."

"But what if they mega boom the window back open?" Bolin informed her. Asami sighed. "You're right. Korra, you have to be more cautious." She looked down at her feet. "We all do."

Tenzin glowered. "They managed to break into my temple. My family is here. What if they could get to all of us… to my children… to Pema?" He strode over to Korra, looking down at her. "We have to add more White Lotus sentries around the perimeter."

"That won't matter", Mako informed Tenzin. "They're experts at Guerrilla Warfare. They'll hide well until it's nearly too late for us."

Tenzin nodded, turning back to Korra. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Korra, for tonight, I'll have the sentries guard your room. It was obvious they were coming after you since they didn't attack anyone else here in the temple. Tomorrow morning, I'll schedule a meeting with the Council to take immediate action upon the remainder of the Equalist revolution. "

Korra nodded, trying to take away the fear that was rising back into her blue eyes.

* * *

Asami's thoughts were busied as she slowly strode over to the Sato mobile. She was deeply worried about Korra's well-being. _The Equalists surely can't still be thriving even with Amon on the run, can they? _And now, she was going to confront her father once more. She remembered the last encounter with Hiroshi, and it was certainly unpleasant—Unless dueling in a mecha tank counted as having father-daughter time. Hiroshi had nearly ended her life, if it hadn't been for Bolin, who claimed how much of an awful father he was. And Asami couldn't contradict otherwise. Afterwards, she fired an electrically charged bola at Hiroshi, ultimately knocking him out. How would she react, seeing him again? More importantly, how would he react seeing her?

_Now I see there is no hope in saving you! _Those words from Hiroshi after she had rivaled against him rung in Asami's head as she looked up.

Iroh was waiting for her in the backseat, dressed in his usual fiery red uniform, hair combed back neatly. He looked up at her and waved politely, a smile hinting upon his pursed lips. A hired driver was in front of him, taking the wheel. Asami frowned. _As if today can't get any worse…. I can't even drive!_

She silently got in the Sato mobile next to Iroh, as the driver started the engine, driving slowly, carefully. It bore her the first few seconds they were on the road.

"It's nice to see you again, Ms. Sato", Iroh informed her. "I hope your day is going by smoothly."

Asami turned to the General, sighing. "I wish. The Equalists nearly got to Korra the other night. I'm so worried."

General Iroh nodded. "So I heard. I've already ordered some of my troops to assist the sentries in protecting her… in protecting all of you."

"Well that won't be necessary", Asami told him. "I'm going back to the Sato estate in a few days. I have to take control of Future Industries and restore its reputation now that my father is…." Her voice trailed off.

"So I see", Iroh said, interrupting her so she wouldn't have to say it. "That's impressive for someone your age. You're a non bender representative with the task to help restore Republic city from the Equalist Revolution too, am I right?"

Asami nodded. "Since I was one of the only non benders to side with the benders, it's important for me to be a spokesperson for the Council towards the supporters of the Equalist movement."

"That's a lot of work", Iroh informed her.

Asami sighed. "I know."

"If it's any comfort…" Iroh began. "If you need any assistance, then I'll be happy to help. I could get some of my people to invest in Future Industries. Your company's production is quite impressive."

Asami raised her eyebrow. "Your people?"

Iroh nodded. "Yes. My people from the Fire Nation." When Asami still looked perplexed, he smiled, clearing his throat. "My mother is the Fire Lord."

Asami's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" Her cheeks began to flush red with embarrassment. _His name is Iroh… named after The Dragon of the West who was Firelord Zuko's uncle. It's his namesake! Why didn't I realize this before? _She couldn't help but recall the time Mako was shocked to find out she was the daughter of Hiroshi, the once most successful business man in Republic City—perhaps even the world. It was similar to this, except she bared Mako's expression this time. "My apologies", she said, trying to regain her polite tone. "I didn't know."

"It's alright", he said, his gold eyes looking into hers.

"Should I be calling you Prince or General?" Asami asked him. Iroh couldn't help but chuckle. "General is fine. I'm not back home, so it isn't necessary. And may I add that I'm here on military affairs more than political." He turned back to Asami. "But you can just call me Iroh, Ms. Sato."

Asami smirked. "Well in that case, you can just call me Asami."

"Asami it is", Iroh declared, followed by a handshake, as they both exchanged smiles at each other.

The car halted to a stop, as the driver turned towards the two. "We're here", he announced.

Asami's eyes widened as she turned to the window. They were on the outskirts of town, parked in front of a large, metal dome with a sign that said 'Republic City Prison.'

She turned to Iroh. "It's time to face my father."

* * *

Korra, Mako, and Bolin stood behind Tenzin as they were presented before the Republic City Council. The Council members were elderly in appearance, as they sat behind a large, oval desk, gold in color. One of the chairs was empty, now that Tarrlok was gone with Amon as well.

"So you're saying…" One of the Council elders said. She was a woman wearing hot pink robes and two buns on either side of her head. "Korra was ambushed the previous night in her sleep by these Equalists?"

"Yes", Tenzin said indifferently. "I believe we must start taking procedures in order to stop further Equalist attacks on Republic City… and on Avatar Korra."

Mako cleared his throat as he stepped forward until he was beside Tenzin. He pulled his red scarf over his shoulder as he spoke. "I have a proposal. I say you start adding more security throughout Republic City."

Another council member—a man with a curly mustache and light blue robes, scratched his head. "But we already have security roaming around Republic City day and night", he said. His voice sounded rather dorky, as if he had no clue what he was doing.

"That's the problem", Mako said. "You have them roam around. While security might be patrolling one place, the Equalists may be raiding another."

"Mako, what are you implying?" Korra asked him.

Bolin nodded, shrugging. "Yeah, I'm confused. Well… it's not like I don't always get confused, I get confused all the time, haha, it's like this one time where…." He stopped his sentence as everyone exchanged a look of annoyance towards him. "Sorry, I was rambling", he said, innocently putting his hands up.

Mako waited for his brother to finish before speaking again. "It's all common sense. Look, you need to keep security in places where Equalists would want to try and raid."

Korra's eyes lightened up. "I think I get it." She turned to the Council Elders. "You're having security patrol around places such as alleyways and abandoned buildings."

"In case a speculated hideout is confirmed", the woman said.

Korra shook her head. "Well we can't determine that based on luck if it's found randomly. We need strategy." She slammed her fist against her palm eagerly.

Mako nodded. "With Hiroshi Sato imprisoned, the Equalists will be low on funds and equipment to strive. Therefore, they may be raiding banks, high profiting shops and such. They may also be raiding factories with the equipment they need to continue building weapons. Take account: We only captured Mr. Sato. His workers who are still working under Equalist movement are still out there, aiding the revolt. They would know how to continue producing weapons. If that's the case, then you should also patrol the Sato Estate until these matters are resolved."

Tenzin nodded in approval at Korra and Mako. "I see. You have a good point, Mako."He turned back to the Council Elders who seemed in agreement with them also.

Bolin raised his finger in the air, as if having a revelation. Then he frowned, slouching slightly. "Yeah, I'm still confused."

"Then it's settled", the woman said. "We'll take action based on the procedure this young man has just given us."

Bolin, Korra, and Mako laughed together in accomplishment, exchanging high fives and embraces.

"In the meantime…." One of the Council Elders said. "We should still investigate the location of the Equalist hideout. And many of the Equalist members were well tamed enough by Amon to not speak."

"I think we have that taken care of", Bolin reassured the Council confidently. "Our friend, who so happens to be Mr. Sato's daughter AND one of our most trusted allies, has gone to interrogate Mr. Sato along with General Iroh."

"We're hoping that Asami may have an advantage in the interrogation, being Hiroshi's daughter."

The Council nodded. "Well, let's all hope it turns out well for her… for all of us."

Korra, Mako, Tenzin, and Bolin nodded as they issued their farewells to the Council with the most respect, before heading down the aisle back to the door.

"Hold on a minute, Avatar Korra", the woman stated. Korra turned around. "Yes?"

"I hear you managed to restore Lin Bei Fong's bending…. Is that true?"

Korra nodded proudly, placing a hand on her hip. "Why yes… it is true as a matter of fact."

"Then I believe we should also start procedures to help the people who's bending were stripped by Amon."

Korra just nodded. "Sure," she said indifferently. "We'll discuss the matter soon." She turned around, maintaining her confident posture. But inside, her heart was pounding. _Could I really use energybending to heal all those people? I'm still new to the technique. And to properly energybend… it takes a true mind, a true soul, and a true heart. I was able to do it to Lin because of my connection towards her. But… how can I energybend someone who I have no connection to at all? What if I hurt them?_

"Korra", Tenzin asked, taking note her distant expression. "Are you alright?"

Korra forced a chuckle, scratching the back of her head. "Who me? Oh, haha, yeah I'm fine!"

* * *

Asami released a deep sigh from her chest, as she stood before a vault. Her heart was beating rapidly, and it was hard for her to maintain a cool, calm composure.

"Should we go?" Iroh asked Asami, standing behind her.

Asami turned to Iroh, looking at him almost apologetically. "I think I should do this alone."

Iroh's gold eyes widened slightly, releasing a small noise of displeasure from his throat. "Are you sure?"

Asami nodded. "It might be easier for my dad to speak if it were just his 'little girl' standing in front of him. Too many authorities, especially a General of the United Forces, and he'll be in refusal to speak."

"If that is what you wish", he told her. "Be careful."

Asami was startled as the guards began to open the vault, until a dark room was visible in her eyes. She glanced at Iroh for a moment, a wave of guilt washing over her. He had been very supportive, even eagerly wishing to accompany her to confront her father when he saw that she would be alone. And now, she was throwing him out last minute before the confrontation. Slowly, she walked into the vault, hearing the guards close the door with a loud _bang _behind her. She flinched at the sudden noise, opening her eyes slowly again, her sight set upon the cell with her father caged inside of it.

Hiroshi's eyes widened. "Asami?"

_Get a hold of yourself, Asami _she said to herself. "Hello dad", she greeted sadly.

Hiroshi turned to the side, a flustered look on his face. "You shouldn't have come here. I didn't ask for you to visit otherwise."

Asami's eyes were stunned by her father's harsh words. All her life, he would treat her like his little princess, giving her what was best for her, and teaching her the right path. Because of him and her mother, she grew up to be moral, kind, and loving. But then with the sudden death of her mother, it changed him, a desire for revenge filling his loving heart. "It's better to ask for forgiveness… then to ask for permission."

Hiroshi's eyes widened, hearing Asami's cute little joke when she did come to play the spoiled little heiress. "Asami…." He said sadly.

"Dad, I need to know the Equalist hideout", Asami informed him, cutting into the chase rather too soon. "Please… as a chance to redeem yourself-" She stopped, choking on her words.

Hiroshi paused for a moment, staring at Asami. For a moment, Asami saw hope, when his eyes reflected guilt and regret. Then it faded when Hiroshi glowered at her. "How _dare _you…" He angrily grabbed the cell bars in front of him, as if he wanted to charge for Asami at that moment and start a bull fight. "How DARE you!" he said even louder. "You ungrateful child! If there's anyone who should be redeeming themselves, that's _you, _Asami. Siding with the people who took your mother away from us!"

"The _Agni Kai Triad _took mom away", Asami informed him. "Not Korra, not Bolin, not Mako, not any other bender that you're revolting against in the Equalist movement!"

"They're all the same", Hiroshi hissed.

"No…" Asami contradicted. "They're not."

"Go ahead and side with those filthy benders!" Hiroshi bellowed angrily. "Now that I see you… I see you as one of them. You're no longer my daughter."

Asami couldn't help but gasp, tears filling her eyes. She refused to spill them, as her eyebrows formed a sharp V shape, as she glowered at Hiroshi. "No…" she said, her voice shaking with anger and sadness. A pain ached in her chest as she said it. "You're no longer my father."

Asami turned around, racing out the door, her long black hair flying behind her. The door closed behind her, leaving Hiroshi in his prison as Iroh walked up to her once more.

"Asami, what happened?" Iroh asked her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I…I…." Her voice was shaking, and she was choking on her words again. She took a deep breath. "I couldn't get anything out of him." She was battling her emotions within herself, trying to maintain a cool calm, when inside, her heart was tearing into shreds.

"Is that all?"

Asami turned to Iroh, and he looked at her as if he knew what she felt… as if he understood the conflicted emotions within her. A single tear escaped from her eye, glistening as it slid down her pale cheek.

"I guess I'm just really having Daddy issues", she informed him sadly, relieved that no more than a single tear was shed from her. "I need a whole new way of approaching him now."

"And how are you going to do that?" Iroh questioned curiously.

"I don't know", Asami told him truthfully. "I just know that right now, they way I'm approaching him now… I'm just exposing a monster. I need to expose my _dad_."

* * *

Korra sat on the edge of the Air Temple Island's cliff sides, admiring the view of Yue Bay. The name Yue rang in her head. She remembered stories about her, when she was in love with Katara's older brother, Sokka. Being a member of the council, Sokka named the bay after her. Yue sacrificed her life to restore the moon spirit, and she was driven by her beliefs, having a true mind, heart and soul.

"Korra?" Mako questioned. When she turned around, Mako smiled, sitting beside her as they looked out to the bay together. The water rippled gently beneath them, as Korra rested her head on Mako's shoulder. "Hey", she said casually, but cutely.

"Are you alright?" Mako asked. He smirked. "You know, Tenzin wasn't the only one who noticed you seemed troubled after the Council meeting. What's wrong?"

"It's really kind of dumb", Korra informed him. "Childish."

"Isn't that the reason I fell in love with you?" Mako informed her. "I mean, look at you. You're childish with your impulsiveness, impatience, rebelliousness…"

Korra quickly raised her index finger over his lips, silencing him suddenly. "Alright, I get it!"

Mako laughed, before turning his full attention back to Korra when she sighed wearily. "Mako… do you think I can do it? Give back over one hundred people's bending?"

Mako nodded. "I don't see why not. Korra, you're a really good person deep down… well…really deep down….Actually, deeper than that."

Korra playfully punched Mako's shoulder.

"Hey! I'm trying to heal there", he said to her.

"Oops, sorry", Korra told him, gleefully. She frowned again. "But… there's this certain feeling you get when you energybend. It takes an unbendable spirit, a true mind, a true heart, and a true soul."

Mako raised his eyebrow at Korra. "Weren't you able to heal Lin?"

Korra nodded, taking account of that moment. "Yes, I was. But I was in touch with my spiritual energy at that moment thanks to Aang. I don't know if I could do it again."

Mako gently turned Korra towards him. "Don't say that. You can do it, Korra, I know it."

"But even Tenzin said I was still rusty in airbending and my spiritual energy!"

"Korra, listen", Mako told her soothingly. "Your mind is true: All you think about are your beliefs, wanting to do things on your terms because, well… that's what you believe in. Your soul is true: During a time of need, you managed to airbend, come in contact with your spiritual energy, because you unlocked it on your own terms. And more importantly: Your heart is true. Because of all the love you give to your friends… to me… to everyone. Korra, you're the avatar. You were born with all of those qualities."

Korra was in awe, as she pulled Mako in an embrace. "You really mean it?"

"Of course."

Korra looked up at him, caressing his cheek. "What would I do without you?" she asked him, before pushing her lips against his.

"Well, for starters, you wouldn't be able to raise your arm", he said, pointing at his injured shoulder. "Because I wouldn't be there to be your human shield."


	2. Chapter Two: Mine Blowing

**Thanks so much for the reviews for the first chapter! I really appreciated it. The more reviews, the faster I work, so please be an angel and send in a review! Anyway, with the whole shipping thing, I'm a HUGE Iroh/ Asami shipper. It's my favorite couple. Hopefully I'm not putting too much spotlight on them, because MAKORRA is the main couple in the series, and I want to keep it as much to the show as possible, without having my own fantasies get in the way. I just really wanted IROSAMI in it, and I hope the creators of the Legend Of Korra will consider the two. By the way, this chapter is going to have a lot more action, because we want to see some bending going on, now am I right? **

A group of Equalists were lurking through the shadows outside the building of Republic City Bank. One was walking ahead of the rest, assuming position as leader of their mission. "Come on", he whispered to the rest of them.

With that signal, the rest of the Equalists grabbed a burlap sack, hoping to be able to fill it with pounds and pounds of yuan bills and coins. Hunched over so that their bodies weren't touching the light from the lamp posts, they stalked their way towards the door. The leader harshly kicked the door open, causing it to skid across the tiled floor from the inside of the bank.

"Let's go".

Suddenly, a roaring engine sound rang across the street, as a small group of three metalbending officers arrived on the scene. "What are you doing?" one of them asked.

"It's the Equalists!" his commander informed them, as they flexibly leaped out of their moped bikes. The Equalists quickly began pulling out their weapons: Kali sticks, bolas, electric gloves, and other tools came out onto their hands, as they charged for the metalbenders.

One of the Equalists shot a bola towards one of the officers. The officer stomped his foot on the ground, causing a rock like structure to erupt in front of him. The bola collided with it, wrapping around the rock rather than the officer. He stomped his foot again, as another boulder rose into the air, leaving a crater on the ground. He punched the rock towards the Equalist, knocking him out with ease.

"Not going to happen", the commander said confidently, as he resumed helping his other comrades.

More metalbenders arrived in their mopeds and satomobiles, as they defeated and arrested the rest of the Equalists in a matter of minutes.

"This will be interesting news for the Council", the commander informed the rest of his officers.

* * *

"What?" Korra, Mako, and Bolin yelled, as Tenzin gave them news the next day. They were sitting in the dinner hall again together, enjoying a peaceful cup of tea until Tenzin informed them that they would have to go to another council meeting.

"We were literally _just there!_" Bolin informed Tenzin, holding his hands out to the table, as if he were pointing out to something.

Tenzin's hands were hidden behind his back, as his serious expression never lifted. "I understand that", he began. "But we have much more to discuss and the Council sent a message saying this meeting was urgent."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they said that", Mako informed Tenzin grumpily. "Because they said that in the last meeting…. And the meeting before that." He gave Tenzin a rather accusing glare as Tenzin sighed. _Why in the world were they complaining so much today? They usually were able to suck up their impatience for the sake of their responsibilities. _His eyes widened in realization as they wandered over to Bolin's hands, which were covered by a pair of pro bending gloves. His eyelids dropped, forming a lopsided scowl, as irritation filled his expression. "Pro bending practice, huh?"

Korra tried her best to smile innocently, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "Haha… funny thing is, Tenzin… Mako, Bolin, and I decided _not _to drop the next pro bending tournament."

Tenzin's eyes widened. His voice, still quietly leveled, hinted anger in his tone. "What?" He flailed his arms out on either side of his body. "Are you insane? We went over this many times…. We have a _DUTY _to Republic City!"

"We also have a duty to the tournament as well", Korra told Tenzin. She understood how Tenzin felt. His face showed that the airbender was clearly flustered with his words, frustration quickly overcoming him. She knew Tenzin's view on bending, and it was clearly negative because he thought of the sport as 'exploiting' their bending prowess. But Korra was able to fully concentrate in pro bending if personal issues didn't intercept her thoughts, and the tournament itself helped her learn how to move like a true airbender. "It's coming up in a matter of weeks, and we barely have any time to practice!"

"As a Council member, that is not my problem", Tenzin told them solidly. "You have an obligation to the Republic, being the Avatar."

Korra groaned. She didn't have to be reminded of her status over and over again, as well as her 'obligations'. "Alright. We'll go." She sighed. There was no way she could avoid a situation like this.

Bolin's mouth dropped in shock. Then he shook his head, moving his body about as if he were a young child about to start a tantrum. "But Korra!" he whined.

Korra turned to Bolin almost immediately, placing her hand on her cross legged knee. "Bolin, it's alright. The Council can't possibly be bothering us every single day."

"I highly doubt that…." Mako told Korra, as if warning her lightly. He calmly took another sip of his tea, before standing up. "Then we should get moving."

Tenzin shook his head. "This time, we will need Asami to accompany us."

Korra, Bolin, and Mako exchanged skeptical glances at each other, before turning back to Tenzin. _Why would the Council ask for Asami now? They hadn't asked for her since the past few weeks they were attending frequent meetings._

Bolin cleared his throat, still seated down, as he looked up to the tall statured airbender. "Asami's in her room. She's preparing to interrogate her father again. She told me the last one didn't go so well…." Bolin sighed. _It's a real bummer to see one of your close friends really troubled. If only everyone in the world can be as carefree as himself…. _

"Really?" Tenzin asked him, tilting his head to the side.

"Yup", Bolin said. "She's been visiting the prison frequently, just to check up on him in secret. The guards would update her on what was going on with Mr. Sato. But I don't think she actually spoke to him after her last interrogation. She's supposed to try again today though."

Tenzin ran his fingers down his long beard. "Hmm… wasn't General Iroh supposed to be accompanying her? He was supposed to help her during the interrogation."

Bolin shrugged. "He was busy doing United Forces stuff."

"Very nice choice of words", Mako mocked.

"But he is!" Bolin raised his fingers, counting on each of them as he named each of the 'United Forces Stuff' General Iroh was doing. "He's got Equalists to capture, he's got to command all his men, and he's got hair to comb!"

Tenzin shook his head. "No matter. I must speak to Asami this instant."

As if on cue, Asami entered the dinner hall, dressed in her casual attire. She had a shoulder bag clinging close to her body, giving everyone a polite wave. "Good morning everyone."

"Asami", Tenzin began. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but you'll have to postpone your visits to Hiroshi until another time." He watched as Asami's eyes widened.

"What? Why?" Asami asked, her reaction more mild compared to the others. Although, she was just as perplexed as they all were from before.

"As the sole owner to Future Industries, one of Republic City's greatest industrial company and involvement with the Equalists, the Council has called you up to the meetings from now on as well."

Asami's eyes began to glisten with worry. She didn't have to find out from the meeting itself that she was now tasked with cleaning up after her father's mess. "Well, it seems more important at the moment. I'll go." She gestured towards everyone to follow her out the door. "Come on. We'll take the satomobile."

* * *

Team Avatar and Tenzin slowly climbed out of the satomobile, moments after Asami parked it at the curb in front of City Hall.

"So", Asami began, as they made their way inside the building. "Recap: What's been going on? What are the issues that the Council is addressing?"

Mako turned to Asami as he walked in slow, steady paces. "Well, for starters, the Equalist attacks around Republic City. I offered a proposal to stop these attempts, by having security patrol places that were necessary for Equalist groups to raid so they can continue thriving."

Asami nodded along with what Mako was saying. "Hmmm…" she said, rubbing her chin. "That's pretty smart." She turned to Korra. "What about the people who got their bending taken away from Amon? Did you discuss that yet?"

Korra suddenly froze, stopping in her tracks. Asami noticed this sudden movement immediately, and stopped with her, standing right next to Korra's side. "Did I say something wrong?" Asami asked worriedly, her eyes suddenly washing over with guilt.

Korra chuckled nervously. "No, not at all", she reassured her, even if she knew she was lying. She may have the knowledge to energybending, and how to control it, but she had so many feelings at the moment that served as a hindrance to her goals. She was hesitant, indecisive, and stressed. There were already so many problems erupting all around Republic City. She wasn't sure if she or her friends could stop them all. "Yes", she said again to Asami, clearing her throat. "We did talk about that. I'm actually going to be appointed by these people so I can restore their bending."

"Wow", Asami said, genuinely impressed. "That's amazing. Restoring everyone's bending with just the touch of your fingers…. Surely it can't be that simple, can it?"

Korra shrugged, trying to regain her confidence. "Nope," she said casually. "It's pretty simple, actually."

"Well, if there's anything we can do to help, we're right here", Asami reassured her, as she continued walking ahead of Korra, catching up with the rest of the group. Korra was still frozen in place, as she slouched over, sighing heavily. Then she began taking slow, deliberate paces, tailing behind the group, rather than being with them.

Finally, they all halted to a stop, standing in front of the Council officials once more.

"Sorry for the inconvenience", the Fire Nation councilwoman said.

Bolin frowned. _She should be sorry alright._

The councilwoman smiled. "But may I inform that Mako's instructions have gone by well. We ordered the metalbending officers to patrol Republic City bank just a few nights ago. Luckily enough, they caught a group of Equalists trying to break their way in."

"That's good to hear", Mako said lightly.

The chairman spoke this time. "Mako, we would like you to continue studying and investigating other places that the Equalists would want to raid. We will heed your word once your decisions come in play." He was one of the Council Members, having taken up Tarrlok's position upon his departure with Amon.

"I'll get right into the job, sir."

The woman turned to Asami this time. "And I suppose it's safe to assume you're the daughter of Hiroshi Sato?"

Asami stared at the woman for a moment, slightly dazed. She didn't know what to say since the last interrogation she had with Hiroshi. "Yes", she said, sighing. She shouldn't confuse the councilwoman with her own personal feelings and instead go for the facts of reality.

"Ah, so you're the heiress and sole inheritor of Future Industries", the woman addressed. "We were especially looking forward to meeting with you."

The chairman smiled warmly at Asami. "You're a true heroine. Going against your father, risking everything you had just to stay true to your beliefs… now that takes a lot of gut."

"Thank you, sir", Asami said, smiling back.

"We give you our fullest trust to take control of Future Industries", the woman informed Asami, emphasizing it in a way where it would drill deep into Asami's head and have the idea remained intact. "That's why we want you to begin manufacturing the weapons that Hiroshi Sato created for the Equalists. Although instead, you'll be supplying them to Republic City and their police forces."

Asami's eyes widened. _This was such a responsibility. _Her father had ensured she be well trained in her younger years to handle the business of Future Industries. She was excellent at mechanical engineering and executing tests for certain models of inventions, although she never got into the field of 'inventing'. Her mind simply didn't have the knowledge to do so. Now, she would manufacture and supply these inventions to Republic City. "It's an honor", Asami began. "I will certainly begin taking charge of Future Industries as soon as possible, and supplying Republic City." She paused for a moment. "But I still need training. I'll speak to some of my father's business officials who will assist me." Asami sighed. Every time she uttered the words 'my father', the pain of her emotions began to throb inside her.

"That's good to hear", the chairman told her. "You'll be associated with the Metalbending officers as well as the United Forces, so it'll be crucial for you to expertise in your field. This is quite an important business opportunity for you", the chairman informed her. He finally turned to Korra. "But the most important job is held in the hands of the Avatar."

Korra, who busied herself with her own thoughts as Asami and Mako were speaking, suddenly shot her head up, gulping. "Oh, you mean me?" she said, pointing at her chest. She cleared her throat. "Oh, yeah, right. But hey, I mean, the job doesn't seem that important…." She made her best effort to laugh as the councilwoman looked down upon her.

"On the contrary", she said. "You'll be bringing back the hope of many people who lost it because of Amon. Restoring their bending is a big step towards removing the Equalists for good. The reason they were ever so frightening was because they had a leader who can strip an individual of their powers. But with Amon gone, it's time to turn the tides. They have nothing against us."

Korra felt her muscles go numb, as her heart began pounding against her chest. _And if I can't restore everyone's bending? It'll make a big step for the Equalists to take action. _

Tenzin suddenly stepped forward, looking up towards the council members. "And Korra will be able to turn the tides soon. But right now, I feel she isn't ready to take up such a responsibility, having just learned energybending."

The chairman tilted his head slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked Tenzin smoothly. "She was able to restore Lin Beifong's bending."

"That doesn't matter", Korra suddenly butt in. Thanks to Tenzin, she was finally able to spill at least some of her thoughts to the council. "I may be able to restore Lin's bending, but I was at a point where I was in absolute contact with my spiritual energy." She sighed nervously, closing her eyes, as if she were disappointed. "But lately… I haven't been able to go into my Avatar State at all. I was merely at my lowest point."

When the council members still looked perplexed, Tenzin gestured over to Korra. "She's saying that Lin was a lucky break. She still has much training before she can master energybending. It's just like the other elements. She has to master them before becoming a fully realized Avatar."

The councilwoman gave Korra and Tenzin a frown, clearly irritated by the hindrance to their goals. "And how long will this training take?"

"It all depends on Korra", Tenzin informed her truthfully. "And she shouldn't be rushed either. Pressure and stress can further cut her contact with her spiritual energy. She needs to have a clear mind, and that will involve many sessions of meditation."

Hearing the word 'meditation', Korra turned her head away, sticking her tongue out in disgust as she crossed her arms with a _hmph! _Meditation was one of the least favorite activities for the aspiring avatar. She considered it time consuming and… boring. Useless even."

The councilwoman opened her mouth to argue, when the chairman knocked his wooden gavel against the surface, demanding everyone's attention as he came up with a final decision. "If that's what Tenzin believes. He is one of our most trusted Council members, and with his spiritual background, he is qualified to train the Avatar. I trust his decision for the Avatar's well-being."

Korra sighed with relief, exhaling a deep breath. "Thank you."

Bolin stretched his arms, hearing his bones crack as he stretched. "Well, this was nice talk. Have a nice day, Council members."

The group started to leave, when the woman coughed. "Ahem!"

Team Avatar froze, turning around slowly as they saw the councilwoman smirk cleverly. "Don't think you're out of the hook yet, kids."

They all groaned except for Tenzin, who just shook his head disapprovingly. _They really do complain like kids. _

"We just got the solid facts addressed", she continued, her smile growing wider as she saw the displeasured look on the teenagers' faces. "It's time for us to discuss every detail concerning all these projects."

The group exchanged face palms, groans, and heavy sighs, hearing the news that they would have to stay in City Hall a while longer. They lazily began their way towards the table to take a seat, their shoulder's dropping.

"This is going to be a VERY long day", Bolin muttered.

* * *

_Korra was busier than I thought she would be _Lin addressed in her head, as she got off her moped bike. The ex Chief of Police decided to investigate the wreckage of the mysterious explosion herself, since Korra and the others rarely had the time. She walked over to the shore of the Mo Ce Sea, as more metalbending officers began to haul Equalist equipment out of the water. Turning her head, she calmly stared at the wrecked motor boat that was discovered a few moments earlier, having been the object that exploded. Pieces of the detonated boat were torn, metal bent with burn marks singeing the edges, amber sparks still visible with their glow. The glass was shattered to bits, leaving only the frame, which was sickeningly bent from the destruction of the boat.

Saikhan, the metalbending officer that replaced her as Chief when she resigned, turned to Lin as she stood next to him. He was watching his men work while he supervised, his hands behind his back. "Lin, this area is off limits", he informed her roughly. "Police investigation only."

Lin's eyes narrowed at Saikhan, dismissing his warning. "Oh please, Saikhan", she said with her low voice. "You know you can't stop me. The reason I resigned from my position is because I wanted to do things on my terms without getting held back by the law." She pushed him aside roughly, walking over to the wreckage. "Such as right now."

` Saikhan sighed. The legendary Chief Beifong had his fullest respects, rising in the ranks of the police force under her tutelage. Of course he wouldn't stop her. He began walking alongside her, his metal uniform clanking as he took a step. "Lin, there's something you should probably take a look at."

Lin turned to Saikhan, taking note his disturbed look. "What is it, Saikhan?"

Saikhan paused for a moment, as if trying to find the right words. "We found two victims."

"Oh?" Lin asked. Judging by Saikhan's expression, she knew they weren't merely victims.

He led her over to a white tent, where nurses and paramedics were making their way in and out. He pushed the sheet of the tent aside as they made their way in. "Take a look at this".

When Lin discovered the victims inside the tent, she gasped, eyes widening in horror. Then she turned to Saikhan. "Alert General Iroh and Commander Bumi of this situation. I'll get Tenzin and Avatar Korra immediately."

* * *

"The sun…." Bolin began, his voice quivering. Tears of joy were filling his eyes, as he shot his hands in the air, spinning around childishly. "I thought I'd never see the sun again!" The group followed behind Bolin, as they made their way out of City hall.

"Congratulations Bolin", Mako said wearily. As they headed back to the satomobile, he sighed. "I just want to go back to the Air Temple and lie down."

Asami slammed the car door gently behind her, as they all took their seats. "Same here. I'm getting a headache after that meeting."

Tenzin sighed. "Put it in the bright side", he informed the group. "At least you didn't have to show up to City Hall nearly every day for the past ten years." Everyone else nodded their heads in agreement."

"True", Korra stated.

Asami started the engine, pulling the lever down, as she began pressing her foot against the gas pedal. Korra, who was leaning against the edge of the door lazily, suddenly shot her head up abruptly, hearing the engine of a moped heading her direction. Squinting her eyes to focus on the figure on the moped, she caught sight of an older woman with sharp cheekbones and a scarred face. "Lin?"

Lin halted her moped bike to a stop, her face filled with trouble and concern. "Tenzin, Korra", she began, exchanging glances to both of them. "Follow me, immediately."

"What is it, Lin?" Tenzin asked her, his face filled with alert. Lin narrowed her eyes. "I think you should see it for yourself. Follow me." Lin swiftly hopped back onto her moped, driving down a street. Asami focused on Lin, starting the engines quickly, turning the wheel as if she were in another car race. Being the expert driver she was, Asami was able to close the distance between her satomobile and Lin's moped within a matter of seconds. Suspense filled the faces of Team Avatar. _What did Lin want us to see? _

They passed through the Hu Xin provinces, a place once owned by the Earth Kingdom, afterwards to be part of the United Republic. Finally, Korra caught site of water, recognizing it as the shores of Mo Ce Sea. Once the car halted to a stop, they jumped out of the car as swiftly as possible, Mako proceeding to leap over the car door, rather than pushing it open.

"Lin, what's going on?" he asked her. Lin just gestured them over to the white tent. "Take a look at this."

Slowly, the team peaked through the entrance of the tent, their eyes falling over the bodies that lay on two separate cots. Korra's eyes widened in horror, recognizing the clothing they wore, although their faces weren't visible. She refused to peer her head further, not wanting to see their faces. Amon and Tarrlok's clothing were wrinkled, burn marks staining their fabric.

"Oh my goodness…" Asami began.

"It can't be possible…." Mako said.

"That's a real shocker", Bolin added in, rather sincerely.

Korra moved out of the tent, her eyes filling with a mixture of horror and shock. _Amon was dead? After all this time fearing him, he was dead all along. _

Mako followed after Korra, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Korra nodded, her eyes glistening with sadness. "I'm just shocked, I guess. This was unexpected."

"You're right", Mako informed her. "But with the news of his death, it should alarm the rest of the Equalists, forcing them to surrender, or at least weaken them."

Korra smiled. "You're right", she said. "That's a relief. But I don't think we'll be having any breaks just yet. Amon left the Equalists still at large."

Mako nodded. "I know." He stared into Korra's eyes warmly, grasping her shoulders. "But we'll get through it." He kissed her cheek gently. "I promise."

Korra blushed. Because of Mako, she was put back at ease, the stress and the pressure fading away from her at that moment.

Asami and Bolin walked out of the tent together, their eyes still in utter disbelief. Bolin turned to Asami. "I'm going to check on Korra", he said. "She didn't say anything at all when she saw Amon and Tarrlok."

Asami nodded. "I think I should do the same." She was about to follow after Bolin, when a man in red uniform caught her eyes. General Iroh was speaking with Commander Bumi about the unexpected events, Bumi nodding his head slowly, as he took in the information.

"General", she addressed (specifically to Iroh), approaching the duo. Bumi and General Iroh turned their heads as Asami approached them.

"Ah, Asami", Commander Bumi began. "The nice girl from the party. Is there something wrong?"

Asami shook her head. "I just want to know what happened. How did the boat explode?"

This time, Iroh spoke to Asami, his serious, business like expression never lifting. "We suspect that Tarrlok electrocuted the gas tank with his glove to detonate the boat", he informed her. "When Tarrlok's body was found, he was wearing the glove."

Asami's eyes widened. "Tarrlok… he…." She couldn't bear to say more.

The General nodded slowly. "Yes."

Tenzin maintained his cool composure, although he was just as surprised as everyone else was after the news of Amon's death. How was Korra reacting to this? He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, as he saw Korra, Mako, and Bolin board a motorboat. He quickly ran up to them, his eyes fixed on the trio. "What are you doing?"

Bolin started the engine as Korra turned to Tenzin. "We're going to help the other metalbenders clean out the ocean of Equalist equipment", she said as the boat began to sail into the water.

Tenzin groaned. Why did she never ask for permission first? "Be careful!" he called out to them urgently. "A lot of the Equalist supplies are dangerous, and a variety of them were loaded into the motorboat as well."

"Don't worry, Tenzin, we'll be careful", Mako stated. "And we'll watch Korra for you!"

Korra, Mako, and Bolin sailed over to where the dozen motorboats were about, as the metalbenders continued hauling more equipment from the water. Kali sticks, bolas, and more gloves were submerged afloat the sea, and were carefully handled by the metalbenders, avoiding electrocution.

Bolin drove the motorboat near one of the officers. "Hey, do you need any help?"

The metalbender shook his head. "We have everything under control."

Korra, Mako, and Bolin exchanged confused glances as they turned back to the metalbender.

"Oh, alright then", Korra said. She looked into the waters, the deep blue color of the ocean hypnotizing Korra for a moment, as the ripples reflected into her eyes. Suddenly, she saw something disrupting the blue hue of the water. It was a black spot deep within the depths of the ocean, slowly widening in appearance. Korra's eyes opened in realization. _It wasn't getting bigger, it was getting closer… _Korra squinted her eyes as she tried to grab more focus on the object. Somehow, she recognized the image from before….

Her eyes widened in horror.

"Bolin, start the engine!" She cried out desperately.

Bolin turned to Korra looking perplexed. "What?"

"DRIVE!"

Bolin fumbled with the lever, as he pressed on the pedal, the boat speeding forward.

_Boom!_

An explosion occurred from their original spot, a mix of flame and water bursting into the air. This alarmed the other metalbenders, as they began alerting each other through cries and shouts.

"Korra, what's going on?" Mako yelled out through the noise of the motorboat as it roared through the water.

"Mines!" Korra informed Mako. "The mines that General Iroh's fleet set off on their way to Republic City. Some still haven't been set off!"

Another explosion sounded, as water from the ocean rained down on them, waves rippling violently across the sea. They shielded themselves with their arms as the boat tilted over on its side, about to tip over. Korra quickly began bending the water on the other side, pushing the boat back down properly, as Bolin tried to increase the speed of the boat. "Bolin look out!"

Another mine submerged from the water, as it brushed against the side of the boat. Korra quickly bended the waves around the mine, pushing it into the air, as the water slithered upwards like a snake around it. The mine exploded in the sky, the flames showering over their boat. Mako quickly raised his arms out, swinging them over to the side, the flames following his bending as the boat easily dodged it.

More explosions were heard, and the water lit up with orange and yellow spectrums. The metalbenders were yelling, starting their engines as they tried to avoid running into another mine. This was proven unsuccessful as one of the motorboats caught aflame, submerging into the water.

"Now I think they need our help!" Bolin informed Korra, as they determinedly drove over to the other metalbenders who fell into the water after the wreckage. Korra nodded in agreement, as she stood up again, swinging her arms down swiftly. The waves began to help carry the boat, increasing their speed, as another explosion busted into the air.

The loud booming noises from the mines alarmed the people waiting on the shore.

"Korra", Tenzin gasped. "Korra!"

Asami's green eyes lit up with the orange of the flames in the distance, her shocked expression mirroring Bumi and Iroh's. "What's going on?"

Iroh's eyes widened with a sudden revelation of the similar explosions that occurred when his fleet arrived to Republic City. "Mines", he told her. "There must've been leftover mines after the Equalist attack, and the metalbenders set them off by accident."

Asami's chest began pounding with fright. _Mako, Korra, and Bolin are out there! _She knew the situation was dangerous, but in her nature, she had to find a way to help. Looking about in her surroundings, she caught eye of another beached motorboat, clean, and ready to drive. She raced over to the rear, pushing it with all her might as she tried to get it further into the water. Bumi and Iroh caught sight of what she was doing and rushed over to help. Bumi gently pushed Asami to the side, smiling as he cracked his fingers. "Let the men do the work", he said, as he took multiple steps back. He began to cackle loudly, his hair swaying in the wind. "WAHOOOOOO!" He laughed, as he charged for the boat, slamming his body against the back of it with as much force as he had. The boat shook for a moment, moving an inch. "Well…" he said, sighing. "That didn't work out much."

Asami and Iroh quickly moved back to the end of the boat, pushing it with all their might, Bumi quickly joining them. Bumi laughed, eying the large crack within the depths of the dirt. _If it weren't for me moving the bottom of the boat out of that crevice, they would've never moved the boat in time. _He knew that Iroh and Asami thought he was insane for that move, but he had pushed the big obstacle aside. The boat began to move into the water, until it was far enough for Asami to drive in. Not caring if her boots got wet or not, she stormed into the water, hopping onto the boat. Iroh and Bumi got in with her, Bumi taking a seat around the inside edges of the boat, and Iroh standing beside Asami. Tenzin jumped in in time to catch up with the group, just as they were about to leave.

"Ah, my younger brother!" Bumi exclaimed, punching Tenzin playfully on the shoulder. Tenzin flinched at the force of the punch, even if Bumi said it was just for play. He was about to say something when the boat shot forward, as the motor begun running. Everyone jolted back aside from Asami, shocked by her style of driving. She drove swiftly, expertly, and unbelievably fast, that it sent their stomachs churning.

Iroh's eyes widened, gritting his exposed teeth behind his lopsided lips, as he held onto the side of the door tightly. He turned his head to Asami. "Do you usually drive like this?"

"Usually", Asami said matter-of-factly, smirking cleverly at him as they neared the explosions. Although she had to admit, it was harder to drive while standing up. With relief, Asami spotted the motorboat where Bolin, Mako, and Korra were riding in, and she quickly sped up over to them.

"Asami!" Bolin exclaimed happily. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

Korra and Mako were both helping up more metalbending officers from the water.

"Thank you, Avatar Korra", they said sincerely. Korra nodded, the boat floating up and down beneath them. "You're welcome." She turned to Asami. "Take them into your boat, and drive them back to shore safely. Then if you can, come back for more of them."

Asami nodded. "Alright."

"Be careful, Asami," Mako informed her, showing true concern over Asami as a friend. Asami gave him a reassuring look that she would be alright, as she helped the metalbenders onto the boat safely. Tenzin leaped into Bolin's motorboat, followed by Iroh and Bumi.

"We're going to help you", Tenzin informed Korra, as Asami sped off back to shore with the officers.

Korra nodded. "Not many of the metalbenders were able to make it safely on their own. A lot of the boats are destroyed."

Tenzin rubbed his fingers down his mustache, trying to come up with a plan as the others waited. "Alright. We have to split up." He turned to Korra, Mako, and Bolin. "You three stay on this boat and rescue the officers in the water", he informed them. "Bring them to Asami once she returns."

The three of them nodded, as Tenzin turned to Iroh and Bumi. "The rest of us will split up and take command of the other boats and guide the others back to shore safely. There's no earth or much metal out here in the ocean, so the metalbenders can't fend for themselves." They listened intently to every word Tenzin said, understanding their part fully.

"WHOO!" Bumi cheered, slamming his fist against his palm. "Let's do this!" He took steps back to the end of the boat, similar to the way he did it from the shore when he was trying to help Asami. Then he sprinted forward, hopping over the edge of the boat at an incredible distance, landing on another motorboat safely. From the distance, they saw Bumi taking command of the wheel, dodging as many mines as he could as he headed towards the shore.

Iroh jet propelled himself into the air, as if he were a human meteor, heading towards another motorboat further away. When he landed, the metalbenders were already yelling, seeing as a mine was about to explode in front of them. Iroh quickly rushed forward, and the moment he saw the flames erupt, he shot his fist forward agilely, bending the flames. It was as if he punched the fire towards the opposite direction, although his knuckles and the flames didn't come in contact whatsoever. The fire shot towards the opposite direction, leaving the metalbenders impressed by the strategy of the General.

Tenzin finally spiraled a funnel of wind around him, causing him to fly into the air, before landing on the last motorboat that had survived the explosions. Quickly, he shot an air swipe towards another army of flames, leaving the boat unharmed, as his robes flew wildly against his skin.

Korra and Mako dragged another metalbending officer into the boat, about four of them already safely on board dripping wet from saltwater.

Another mine set off in front of them, causing a wall of flame to rise in front of the direction of the boat.

"Korra! Mako!" Bolin squealed, as the wall of the fire grew bigger. Even if Bolin turned, they would still come in contact with the flame. Korra and Mako turned to each other, as if reading each other's minds, before taking a fighting stance on either side of the boat, their eyes turned towards the flames. They moved their bodies swiftly, swaying their arms around in elegant twists, as the fire followed along, creating an open path for Bolin to sail through.

"Whoo!" Bolin sighed with relief, wiping away a bead of sweat that formed over his forehead from anxiety. "That was a close one."

"Tell me about it", Mako muttered, as he caught sight of Asami in the distance. She was alone this time, and Mako knew instantly that she was successful in bringing the other officers back to shore. She was speeding her motorboat towards them, passing by General Iroh's motorboat swiftly. Mako's eyes suddenly caught hold of a mine that was subtly submerged underwater, brushing against the rear of Asami's boat. "ASAMI!" Mako cried out loudly, his cry piercing through the air, joined by the cries of Korra and Bolin when they realized what was going on. Korra's eyes were wide with fear.

Asami gasped as the back of her boat exploded, the flames rushing over to her. She closed her eyes from the brightness of the flames, waiting for it to consume her, when she felt someone's arms wrap around her. Her hair began flying rapidly in the air, and she felt herself being leveled higher and higher…

She opened her eyes, realizing who her savior was. General Iroh had his one arm wrapped around her waist, his other arm extended downwards. Fire ignited from his knuckles, jet propelling the both of them into the air. Somehow, she felt this was better than flying in a biplane…

Iroh landed safely back into the motorboat he was commanding, settling Asami onto her feet. Her body still pressed against his and her fingers still grasping his shoulder, she looked up at him. "Thank you," she told him briefly, before pulling away. She turned away, as she didn't want him to see the redness rising in her cheeks from her sudden bashfulness.

"You're welcome", Iroh said back. He noticed her turning back to her friends, her eyes filled with worry. _She's really trying to look out for her friends…_

Iroh and Korra's motorboat reached the shore safely, as everyone climbed out. Korra, Mako, and Bolin quickly rushed over to Asami.

"Asami, are you alright?" Korra asked her.

"We were worried", Mako informed her sincerely.

"ASAMEHHHHH!" Bolin cried out, pulling the girl into a bear hug. "We thought we lost you! Don't ever scare us like that again! Wahhh!" Tears were rolling down his eyes as well as snot from his nose, as Asami gave him a nervous chuckle, pushing him away subtly. "Aww, thanks Bolin. But actually, I'm more worried about you guys. Are you alright? You had to deal with dozens of those mines out there."

"We're fine", Korra reassured her. "Bumi and Tenzin made it back safely with the other benders also."

Lin quickly ran up to the group, after seeing the show of mines exploding from the water. "Are you all alright? Was anyone hurt?"

"Thankfully, no", Tenzin began. "And no one received major injuries either."

"That's good to hear", Lin said. "It happened too suddenly."

"Tell me about it!" Bolin mused. "I still have a headache from that meeting." He then smirked. "But hey", he said smoothly. "You have to admit, we were pretty kick butt out there."

"Korra _was_ pretty kick butt", Lin told him smartly, smirking back.

Bolin slouched forward, irritation rising in his face. "Didn't you hear me say 'we'?" Then he shrugged, dismissing the idea. "Well…. Korra was REALLY kick butt."

"Well that's too much kick butting for one day", Tenzin informed Team Avatar as if he were their father. "It's time to go back home."

"Woot! Finally!" Bolin yelled happily. "Pro-bending practice, here we come!" This lightened up the expressions of Mako, Korra, and Asami, as they all started racing back into the car. "Hey, Asami, can I drive this time? I mean, come on, I drove that motorboat pretty well…" Bolin told her confidently.

Mako raised his eyebrow, smirking down at his little brother. "Yup", he said. "After running into about ten mines out there. Imagine how much you'd be crashing into all those buildings if you were on the street."

Everyone laughed, as Asami proceeded to take the wheel again, waiting for Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Tenzin to get inside. When everyone had taken their seats, she started the engine, driving away from the shore. She glanced at her rear view mirror, which reflected General Iroh's form as he stared back at her while she drove. Asami couldn't help but smile, replaying the scene back in the motorboat when he saved her from the explosion.


	3. Chapter Three: Dreams or Duties?

**Hey guys! I know I'm being repetitive in each chapter, but with each review I'm getting, I just have to keep expressing how thankful I am! I really love all the feedback I'm getting, and I will use these reviews to help improve my story. Anyway, this chapter is going to be mostly Mako/ Korra moment, as well as Tenzin and his kids (you readers expressed how much you loved the kids, so I gave them some spotlight too). The chapter will also reach some final decisions over how they're going to handle all the issues in the aftermath of the Equalist Revolution.**

Tenzin took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh cool air that swept through the Air Temple's garden pavilion. His legs were folded in accordance to the ways of meditation, taking up a proper meditating position. His eyes were closed, enjoying the session with his kids, as the three of them meditated facing Tenzin. "In airbending", he began. "We tend to avoid conflicts. To do this, we need a peaceful mind, free from the darkness of desire in this world."

Ikki, Jinora, and Meelo nodded slowly, making sure to only move their heads, and not ruin their positions by moving their bodies.

Meelo suddenly raised his hand in the air eagerly, waving it so fast that his arm had become a blur.

Tenzin peered open one eye, sighing slowly. "Yes, Meelo," he said wearily.

"So I should stop asking for a brand new airbending staff?" Meelo asked, clearly contemplating into such a small thought.

Tenzin frowned. "Yes Meelo." He recalled Meelo asking for a new one a few days ago after breaking his old one. He told the kid so many times that the staffs were for airbending only and not to help roast marshmallows over a bonfire. He closed his eyes again, trying to regain concentration as Meelo did the same.

A few good moments of silence filled the atmosphere only for it to terminate once more. "But I'll take good care of it this time…" Meelo stated suddenly in a sing song voice, hoping to tempt his father. Apparently, one 'no' was not enough to suffice for the young airbender.

"Meelo!" Tenzin scolded in agitation. His son flinched, deciding wisely to not push his father any further. When Tenzin went back into meditating, so did he.

A firefly buzzed around them quietly, flying past Tenzin's head, as it swarmed around the children. He smiled, his eyes still closed. "Do you hear that?" He said it in a rather cheery mood, because of how focused the life around them was. If they weren't meditating, the life of the fly would be oblivious to everyone. Therefore they wouldn't understand the purpose of such a small creature and how it tilted the scale of life, balancing nature perfectly. As an airbender, along with his spiritual belief, this philosophy never ceased to amuse him.

"It's a fly", Jinora said, mirroring her father's smile. Her father nodded approvingly at Jinora's respectful attitude towards the small insect.

Ikki frowned. "Should I get the fly swatter, dad?" she asked, her reaction contrasting from Jinora's. Her face was filled with impatience, as the buzzing noises rang in her ears.

Tenzin shook his head calmly. "No, Ikki. Airbenders respect all life forms in the universe."

"That's why we're vegetarian", Jinora added in, pleasing Tenzin. Jinora was the calmest out of his unusually rambunctious children, having taken her personality from her father. "We don't harm other forces of life unless it is absolutely necessary." She got this idea from her grandfather, Avatar Aang. He chose not to eliminate Firelord Oazi, despite his crimes and destruction throughout the four nations. Aang stated that all life was valuable, and if there was a chance, he would avoid eliminating the life of even a single fruit fly.

The firefly suddenly landed on Meelo's head, shaking its small, transparent wings. Instinctively, Meelo brought his hand up, slamming it against his forehead as he squashed the bug in an instant.

"Meelo!" Tenzin scolded again. He sighed, trying to blow off some of the steam that was building from his anger. "Meelo…." He said again more calmly, although his irritation was still evident in his tone of voice. "Why did you do that?" Apparently, Meelo still didn't seem to process the 'all life was valuable' saying.

Meelo gave his father an apologetic smile. "Sorry…" he began. He shrugged. "It was kind of bugging me."

This caused Ikki to laugh due to the pun of what her younger brother said. "Hah! Good one, Meelo".

Jinora frowned, blowing a strand of her brown hair away from her face. Like her father, she was losing her mind when it came to her crazy siblings. "Not a good one!" she informed them matter-of-factly. "Poor firefly…."

"I swear, it was an accident!" Meelo told Tenzin, raising his hands up in the air. "Super swear!"

Tenzin sighed. "Alright then. Everyone go back into your positions." What could Tenzin possibly do about the situation? He obviously couldn't revive the firefly, seeing as how a part of the bug still stuck to Meelo's forehead. He didn't even want to imagine where the rest of the insect's body went. Although he had to admit, he wouldn't be surprised if Meelo ate it.

Ikki formed a lopsided scowl on her face. "But dad, what about the fly? Did Meelo break like… a super duper airbending code?"

Tenzin frowned. "No, Ikki, Meelo didn't break a…." _Was I really going to say it?_, he thought. "Super duper airbending code." _Guess I did, _he said again to himself, although he sounded weary as he said so. He should've been used to these kinds of meditation sessions with his kids. Each lesson, someone always disrupted the peace, resulting in arguments and other nonsense conflicts. He was determined to not have another one of those today. "Alright focus, kids!"

This time, Tenzin's voice sounded urgent, and the kids quickly nodded, resuming their positions once more. He was serious this time, trying to regain a peaceful mind without the interruption of his children. Everything was quiet again soon after, only the sound of the breeze playing a slow, rhythmic tune in their ears. Countless minutes passed by without interruption, and Tenzin sighed with pleasure, his robes teasing his skin as it rippled against the wind. _It was like a dream,_ he thought, _having everyone quiet for over five minutes without the disruption from one of my children_. He continued the lesson. "We airbenders believe that there is always another path to take… just like how the air can flow wherever it can. We emphasize intuition and imagination."

Suddenly, the quietness (as well as the lesson) was cut short yet again, as Tenzin opened his eyes, groaning. Meelo's eyes were closed alright, but his head dropped slightly, snores coming out from his nose and mouth. It was then Tenzin realized that Meelo had fallen asleep during his meditation for about the one hundredth time since they began meditating. "Meelo."

He said his name, as if intending to grab his attention so the young boy would wake up. When it didn't prevail, Tenzin said his name louder. "Meelo!"

This time, Meelo's eyes shot open. "Oops, sorry!" He quickly straightened himself, trying to draw as less attention as he could, although his father and sisters' eyes were already fixed on him.

"Meelo, what did I say about dozing off during our sessions?" Tenzin informed Meelo. Meelo shrugged. "Uhhh…." He stuttered, trying to come up with a good excuse. "I was dreaming of my future path….with….with Asami!" His eyes became distant for a moment, his look rather dreamy. "Me and my beautiful woman!"

Tenzin planted his palm against his forehead, growling to himself. "We're not talking about Asami, Meelo, we're talking about airbending. And what did I say about desiring things?"

Meelo scratched the back of his head, his expression perplexed. "Sorry…" he said innocently. "I'll focus this time, I promise!"

"Promises mean nothing unless they are kept", Tenzin informed Meelo gently. "But I'll take your word for it." He went back into his position, beginning to meditate again, when Rohan's crying was heard. Tenzin groaned. There were just too many distractions at the moment to even _think _about having a peaceful mind.

Pema walked over to them, her body much slimmer after she went into labor. The children quickly got up on their feet, excited to see their mother. Meelo, Ikki, and Jinora rushed over to her, tugging at Pema's clothing, and standing on their tip toes to get a glimpse of their baby brother. Rohan stopped crying, letting out a small laugh as his older siblings surrounded him.

Tenzin sighed, smiling as he looked out towards his family. Whenever they were all together, the atmosphere was warm, as if the sun was shining down at them on a perfect angle. Sure, the children were mischievous and hyperactive, but he had to admit…. His life would be dull and boring without them. It was the children's enthusiasm that made his world so… animate.

"Dad, come look at baby Rohan!" Ikki called out to him, gesturing him to come forth. Tenzin grinned, walking over as he placed one arm around Pema, caressing baby Rohan's cheek with his other hand. "He really is a ray of sunshine", he told Pema sweetly.

"Hey, dad, what about our meditating sessions?" Jinora asked him, realizing that all of them had suddenly lost focus. Tenzin just shook his head. "There are too many distractions now. Maybe another time." His eyes suddenly widened coming, into realization. "Say…." He began as he turned to Pema. "Where's Korra?" Frustration came upon him once more as he clenched his fists. "She was supposed to be meditating with us!"

"Oh, Korra?" Pema reminded him,calmly. "She went to the arena with Bolin, Mako, and Asami to practice for the upcoming tournament."

"What?" Tenzin yelled this time. "I reminded her so many times that this session was important!" He turned around, trying to look for his sky bison. "Where's Oogi?" Hopefully for Tenzin, the bison was just grazing nearby the pavilion.

"Why?" Pema asked him gently. "Where are you going?"

Oogi, as if on cue, swooped down near them, as Tenzin raced towards the flying bison swiftly. "I'm going to get Korra!" Tenzin called out. "So we can start meditating and begin her training!" The airbending master scowled. Even after the whole conflict with Amon, Korra still managed to be reckless and stubborn.

Meelo raced near his father so he can hear him. "But you said our meditating session was over!"

"I lied!" Tenzin informed him, as he turned to Oogi. "Yip yip!"

Oogi began to flip his tail, his body levitating into the air as the bison began soaring into the sky. Pema shook her head at her husband as he flew off. "Oh Tenzin…" she said aloud, sighing. "You have no idea how similar you are to Korra. You're just both very stubborn." She smiled. Pema believed Tenzin needed to learn that Korra was still a growing teenage girl who had her own dreams and aspirations, besides being a fully realized Avatar. The girl just needed a chance as well as some space, but Tenzin just kept smothering her with her training. "Let's just hope one day you'll both learn."

* * *

Bolin stylishly kicked and punched as he bended, numerous rock-made discs shooting toward the targets which were set up in the room. He hit the bulls-eye perfectly, making the young earthbender proud. "Whoo!" He cheered out to himself, turning to Korra and Mako, who were practicing on their own terms. "Beat that!" He challenged. The trio was in their old practice room at the Pro-Bending arena, happy to be back in their 'second home'. (After Amon's defeat, the Council had decided to re-open it, resuming the tournaments almost immediately.)

Korra smirked, a lopsided grin spreading across her face, as she decided to accept Bolin's challenge. "Gladly." Korra swiftly raced over in front of Bolin, moving her hands around as the disks rose from the ground, following the circular motions of her fingers. She shot her palm forward, the disk doing the same, as it collided with the target—not only hitting the bulls-eye, but perfectly slicing the target in half. She turned back to Bolin, whose commonly shocked expression was seen on his face yet again.

"Wow!" Bolin praised briefly. "That was impressive." Then he frowned, his eyes narrowing down at Korra. "But hey! You're only supposed to be waterbending, _remember_?"

Korra couldn't help but laughed. Bolin's humor always managed to get to her, partly because he sounded rather naïve when he joked around. "Hey", she said to him. "I was just following your orders. 'Beat that', huh?" Her expression became smooth and confident, as she raised her eyebrows, a wide grin spreading ear to ear across her face. "Already did."

Mako shook his head, smiling. "Come on you guys. Get your head back in the game." Unlike his usual bossy attitude when it came to leading the Fire Ferrets, he was far more gentle, his voice soothing and encouraging. Due to winning Korra's heart and learning of Amon's death, his mood was brighter, knowing that the Equalist Revolution was soon to fall. Though, for the sake of the group and the pro-bending match, his tone became more serious. "The tournament is in a few weeks, and we have little time to practice with all the Council meetings we'll be attending."

Korra nodded. "That's true. Sorry, Mako."

Everyone returned to their stations, bending their individual elements as they hit a series of targets and dummies across the room. Korra sighed. She found all the basic punches and kicks to be rather boring, tactics that wouldn't be that useful on the playing field. It wouldn't hurt to try something more complicated and effective while practicing her drills, right? She smirked, lifting her feet in the air, as she bended the water in snake-like movements through her kicks. Her body was moving everywhere now, instead of sticking to one familiar area. Korra's eyes widened, remembering what Meelo had said.

_Be the leaf._

Korra decided to pull an airbending move, her body moving steadily and smoothly. _I'm doing it, _she thought. She imagined her limbs to be light as feathers, as she twirled around gently. Everything went well at first, and Korra imagined Tenzin's proud expression, until she felt her body collide with Mako's. Their legs tangled into each other, as they both fell on the floor, Korra's fall cushioned by Mako's body. For a moment, they paused, looking into each other. Then they started laughing.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

Bolin frowned, his concentration being disrupted, as he glanced over at Korra. They were playfully sparring at each other, Korra releasing a cute, but foreign giggle. "Will you two_lovebirds _quiet down?" He smiled at his older brother, placing a hand on his hips. "Didn't you say you wanted us to get our heads in the game?" he playfully accused. "Mako, since when did you become a hypocrite?"

"Since I met Korra", he stated briefly. He managed to get back up on his feet, holding his hand out to Korra politely like a gentlemen. He pulled her up with enough force that he would successfully have her on her own feet without hurting her.

Mako couldn't help but remember the first time he met Korra. He thought she had just been a random fan girl, and barely paid any attention to her at all. Even after he discovered she was the Avatar, he merely dismissed her importance. But during a series of events, both good and bad, Mako finally understood just how 'amazing' Korra was, earning him the title as a 'hypocrite'. She was strong during the darkest hours of the revolution, and even when she was on the verge of falling apart, she got herself together once more. It was incredible. He even felt guilty, only complimenting Korra with the word 'amazing', when she was far more than that. She was like a dream.

"Hey guys", Asami greeted, in her usual sweet tone. It reflected her image as an 'uptown girl', her voice lining up with her sophistication and elegance. Asami looked up to see Korra and Mako playfully messing with each other, as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, the avatar proceeding to run her fingers over his scarf. She sighed. Asami couldn't lie to herself—it did hurt her to see that the man she once loved was happy with someone else. But even she was pleasantly surprised to see how Korra managed to bring more life into Mako, stripping him of his stoic demeanor.

Asami had a bright yellow tray in her hands filled with watermelon juice. "I went out into the market to buy you guys' drinks. You must be really thirsty from all that practicing."

Bolin, Korra, and Mako removed their helmets and their other bending gear, as they rushed over to Asami, taking their glass eagerly. Bolin quickly gulped his drink down, some of the contents dripping onto the side of his mouth as he brought the glass back onto the tray. He suddenly pointed to Asami's drink, noticing that she left it untouched. "Are you going to…." He began.

Asami smiled. "Nope. You can have it if you want."

"I love you so much!" Bolin declared, as he grabbed her glass, repeating what he did earlier. Mako, Korra, and Asami chuckled at Bolin.

"You truly are a lifesaver though", Mako informed Asami, lifting his glass as if he were having a toast. When he called Asami a 'lifesaver' he meant by how she saved him from being parched to the throat. He took a more careful sip, in contrast to his younger brother, who was once again all out of juice. Bolin started whining, placing the glass onto the tray rather miserably.

Korra laughed. "Yeah. I was about to faint from the lack of water in my body."

Asami raised her eyebrow at Korra. "Couldn't you just waterbend some?" she joked. Korra shook her head. "Nothing can be as good as watermelon juice." They all had another good laugh, as the doors suddenly swung open, and the four of them turned around to the latest visitor. Their eyes widened in shock, Korra being the first to speak his name in disbelief.

"Tahno." She said it as a statement, instead of a question. It was obviously him, with his confident strut, his wide, clever smile, and his flamboyant appearance. He did a small hair flip, his black locks swaying to the side, only to fall back over the side of his face. It was then Korra realized he only did this only for entertainment, and not to actually get all that hair away from his eye.

"Well…" he said, his voice cool, yet dangerous. "If it isn't the AH-vatar." He smirked.

Korra couldn't help but remain surprised. She and Tahno definitely didn't get off to a good start, due to his haughty personality. He nearly provoked her, and no one knew how much Korra wanted to plant her fist against his 'pretty boy' face upon their first meeting at the Noodlery with Bolin. But upon having his bending taken away from Amon, the bully in him weakened, showing a more polite and moral side to the former White Falls Wolfbat captain. She had to admit, at this point, even without his bending, Tahno was able to fix himself up, and was still appearing as arrogant as ever (he was a broken man upon the removal of his bending.)And yet, up till now, Korra still didn't know how to approach him. Before she can decide, Mako had already stepped in.

"What are you doing here?" Mako asked accusingly, narrowing his amber eyes towards Tahno.

Tahno placed his palms upwards in front of Mako, his smile taunting. "Relax, Fire Ferret", he told him calmly. "I just came here to see Korra."

"Korra?" Mako questioned in surprise, although suspicion came into play as well.

Korra's eyes remained open in astonishment, as she pointed her thumb against her chest. "Me?"

* * *

Hiroshi lay on his bed, trapped within the small confinements of his cell. This was nothing compared to his once luxurious bed, covered with linen and other fine fabrics. He felt he was in his cell for too long and that his life in the Sato Estate felt like nothing more than a dream. Every day, he would get his share of bread and water, which was slid under a small door beneath the cell bars. It made him miss his morning breakfasts served by his butler and maids as he sat upon a grand table, his dining hall showcased with many decorative glassware and china. Now, he was forced to eat the sloppiest meals everyday in the darkness of his prison, like an elephant rat who fed off of scraps from the sewage. He despised this life. And there was only one person he blamed.

_Asami._

Hiroshi had a bittersweet feeling rising within him, reminiscing his part in Asami's childhood. He loved her with all his heart, buying her anything she wanted, ensuring that she would live a happy, healthy and an especially wealthy life. But now this was how she repaid him: By turning against him, and imprisoning him in this cell. He couldn't understand why Asami chose to fight alongside the benders. They were the very people who took her mother—the love of his life—away from him.

She didn't deserve to die early. Ms. Sato was beautiful, gracious, and a loving woman, whose selfless qualities left everyone speechless. She was his prized jewel. And the Agni Kai Triad took that jewel away from him in the most painful way possible. Killing her during an attempted robbery left Hiroshi broken, driving him mad with anger. But he knew what he had to do: He had to _honor _his wife. And to do so, he had to avenge her death. After what Asami did, he knew that he wasn't the monster. She was. Asami, his own daughter, had turned into that very monster he sought out to destroy. By joining the benders, she had become his enemy, and he knew that to avenge Ms. Sato, he had to destroy Asami too. It hurt him, really… but he was too angry now to feel any mercy left for his 'little girl'.

A prison guard walked into the room, carrying a tray of bread and water. As usual, he slid it under the latched door beneath the cell, the tray skidding as it reached Hiroshi's form. The sound of it was uncomfortable, a piercing noise to Hiroshi's ears as the metal from the tray brushed against the hard, cement floor.

"Eat", the guard said to him. The guard started to leave, opening the vault door. Suddenly, he stopped, turning his head slightly. "You'll need all your strength."

Hiroshi lifted his head up, tilting his head in confusion. Despite his intellectual mind, he had no idea what the guard meant. The guard just chuckled. "Mr. Sato", he began. "You're not out of the Equalist fight just yet."

Those words made Hiroshi's eyes widen in shock. "Are you…"

"Yes", the guard said. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the Equalist movement's trademark electric glove. He threw it in between the cell bars, as it fell over the tray of food. "Use this. You'll need it when we bust you out of here."

Hiroshi smirked evilly, his large pupils shrinking as his eyes widened. He looked like a madman as he turned back to the guard, knowing instantly he was an Equalist member under incognito. "I'll be anticipating the moment", he said.

The guard nodded, as he shut the vault door behind him. He knew the Revolution needed Hiroshi's intelligence in weapons to help take down Republic City and their benders. Just because Amon was a fraud, that didn't mean their beliefs weren't. They would continue to strive under those beliefs, until the benders were taken down.

"Excuse me", a man asked behind the disguised Equalist. The Equalist member turned around to find a man with red uniform, his amber eyes burning into his.

"General Iroh", the Equalist, greeted, saluting to him in 'respect'. The Equalist member hated fire bending generals the most.

"What were you doing in Hiroshi Sato's cell?" Iroh asked him. The Equalist had no idea why the General was here in the first place. He had much more important business to attend to, such as commanding the first division of the United Forces.

"I was giving Mr. Sato his meal", the guard said. Iroh nodded. "I see", he said, yet his eyes narrowed, suspicion washing over him. "I'm sorry for interrupting you, then."

The guard nodded. "It's alright, General." With that, the guard speed walked down the hallway, making sure to disappear out of sight as quickly as he could. Iroh rubbed his fingers against his chin, thinking to himself. _Meal hours for the prisoners weren't until another hour later _Iroh thought to himself, picking up bits of information from the other guards. _And why did he address Hiroshi as Mr. Sato, when the other guards merely called him 'the prisoner'? _He took note of how the guard addressed Hiroshi rather respectively. Maybe he was observing this suspicious situation at the wrong angle, but the General knew in his gut that something was going on. Hearing the news that Amon was gone, the Equalists' only other reliable leader would be Hiroshi. After all, the man had advanced intelligence, and had a cunning mind when it came to hiding his identity as an Equalist. That was the reason why the General came to check up on Hiroshi's activity in his prison, ensuring that he made no attempt to escape. After all… how could he possibly escape a prison that was so secure?

* * *

"What is it, Tahno?" Korra asked him.

Tahno smirked. "I heard Amon's dead", he said. "Thanks for getting him for me."

Korra remembered what Tahno said to her, before he went in to get interrogated by Lin and Tenzin the night his bending was taken from Amon.

_You gotta get him for me._

Tahno's harsh, yet determined words rung through Korra's mind, as she nodded. "You're welcome."

"Is that it?" Mako informed Tahno irritatingly. "Because you can leave."

Tahno gave Mako a disgusted look, before giving the young firebender a weary, yet taunting gaze. "Gee, don't worry", he said, shrugging. "I'm not going to steal your girlfriend from you." He watched as Mako's expression morphed from an annoyed look, to an enraged one. He could've sworn his ears were giving off steam at that moment he blew up.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Mako yelled, as he charged for the ex- Wolfbat. He pointed an accusing finger against Tahno's chest, as Tahno ultimately provoked him.

"Calm down, Fire Ferret", Tahno said coolly, the corners of his lips still curved into a smile. "Have you ever heard of a joke before?"

Mako growled, his amber eyes burning with fury. "The only joke here in this room is _you_."

Asami quickly butted into the situation, grasping Mako's shoulder tightly, pulling him back so that he wouldn't get into any serious conflict with the teenager. "Mako, stop! He just came here to thank Korra."

Korra nodded. "Mako, it's alright. Don't listen to him, okay?" She couldn't help but give Tahno a frosty glare.

Tahno shrugged, as he headed back out the door, placing his hands in his pockets. He turned his head slightly, the profile of his face being visible to the group. "Oh, and if it's any consolation", Tahno began. "I came to reconcile".

Mako glared back at Tahno. "Really? It didn't look like you were trying."

Tahno just smiled slyly back at the group, as he reached his hand out to the door handle, when suddenly, it swung open. Tenzin stormed into the practice room, clearly enraged. "KORRA!"

Korra planted her palm against her face, knowing the trouble she was about to get into. The young avatar forced herself to smile. "Oh… uh… hey… Tenzin", she said, trying to give him a polite wave. Unfortunately, she was already aware of the meditation session she was scheduled for with Tenzin and the kids, although when Mako, Bolin, and Asami were planning to go to the arena, she couldn't miss out. "How's it going?"

"How's it going?" Tenzin yelled, repeating what she said. He tried to keep his calm, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head as if he had a headache. "Korra, you missed out on important training!"

Guilt easily washed over Korra. She held her hands out, as if she were showcasing something in her arms. "I know, Tenzin, and I'm really sorry, but Pro-bending has been my dream ever since…."

Tenzin cut her off there, crossing his arms and giving her a stern expression. "Korra, you know you have a responsibility. If you're going to restore everyone's bending, you need to fully master the Avatar state and your energybending!" He clenched his fists, glowering down on her. "And especially your airbending! You've only gotten through step one on that."

Tahno, who proceeded to walk through the frame of the door, suddenly turned around again, his hair flying over his face. "Korra can restore someone's bending?" he asked suspiciously.

Tenzin turned around, his eyes widening in shock. He was so upset when he stormed in, that he didn't realize the teenage boy standing there, listening to everything they were saying. "I…uh…" He remembered the boy. It was Tahno, the White Falls Wolfbat captain, who he interrogated moments after his bending was taken from Amon. He heard how Tahno paid off the referees to not call out any foul play on their side during the game. "Forget I said anything!"

Tahno grinned cleverly, his face showing a somewhat menacing expression. "Whatever", he dismissed casually, as his figure disappeared out the doorway. The door closed behind him with a small _creak, _as Tenzin turned back to Korra. He growled, muttering how stupid he was under his breath, before returning his attention to the girl. "See, look at what you made me do!" he informed her, pointing towards the direction Tahno went.

"Hey!" Korra told him. "It wasn't my fault!"

"If you stayed at the Air Temple, this wouldn't have happened", Tenzin argued.

"If _you _stayed in the Air Temple, this wouldn't have happened either", Korra contradicted. She peered over Tenzin's shoulder, hoping that Tahno was still there so she could convince him not to tell anyone. If Tahno did spread the rumor that the Avatar could restore a bender's bending, then riots would break into the streets, saying why she didn't do it sooner. She knew saying 'I wasn't ready', wouldn't suffice the angry mobs that would break out.

Tenzin sighed. "Korra, you have to go back. Remember, you have a big responsibility-"

"YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT?" Korra suddenly shouted out, pointing at herself. "I know I'm the Avatar", she informed him. "I know I have an obligation, and I know I have duties to attend to which are much more important than some Pro-Bending tournament". She clenched her fists, staring right back into Tenzin's eyes with her thundering blue ones. "But I w_ant_this", Korra insisted. "Pro-Bending is my dream, Tenzin. I need to have my own life too."

Mako, Asami, Bolin and Tenzin gasped as Korra raced passed the airbending master, exiting through the doors. Mako knew she was clearly upset, her eyes glistening as if she were about to cry. "Korra, wait!"

Mako quickly sped after her, picking up his legs as fast as he could, as the door creaked open once more, only to shut again when his form ran past the doorframe.

Tenzin sighed, clearly guilty by confronting Korra ever so harshly. Bolin and Asami were staring back at him with what-are-we-going-to-do looks, something that he could not answer at the moment. He quickly gestured the group towards the door. "Come on", he said. "Let's go get Korra."

* * *

Korra swiftly raced down the alleyways of Republic City, wanting to get away from everyone, especially Tenzin. Angrily, she kicked a rock away from her foot, leaning her body against one of the abandoned buildings that resided there. She sighed. She couldn't understand why everyone else couldn't understand _her. _Just because she was the Avatar, didn't mean she was a perfect tool, completely dedicated to restoring bending and bending all the elements. She was her own person too, and her own person had a dream. She wanted to Pro-bend and to win the championships fairly this time (after the unfair game play the Wolfbats used against them). Too much responsibility was pummeled onto her like heavy weights being thrown to her head. Why couldn't anyone understand that she was still just a teenage girl?

"Korra!" Mako called out, chasing after her. He panted, clearly running a good distance just to get to her. "Korra…."

She folded her arms, turning away from him. "Mako, you shouldn't have come here", she said, sadly. "I want to be alone."

"I know", Mako said, immediately following her words. "But I just want to say something to you."

Korra turned around, anticipating what he had to say, although her face showed she wouldn't buy what he said. She was just too frustrated at the moment.

"Korra, I want you to know that whatever happens, we'll be right next to you, supporting you in every way you can."

Korra raised her eyebrows. "Thanks", she said somewhat sincerely. "Is that it?"

Mako shook his head. "No!" he said, breathing in a massive amount of air. He was still panting. "I'm all out of breath… trying to…. Run over….." He straightened himself up, as some of his strength was regained after chasing Korra. It took a moment for him to speak clearly again.

"Listen… I was thinking", he began. "That we don't enter the tournament this year. We always have next year to look forward to anyway."

Korra's eyes widened in bewilderment, shocked that Mako said that he _wouldn't _pro-bend. "No!" she argued. "I want to pro-bend, and…"

Mako sighed. "Listen. I know it seems like I'm on Tenzin's side, but… Korra. We're already having too many interruptions. We wouldn't win anyway, even if we tried, because we wouldn't be prepared. Even if we tried our hardest. Not only do you have your training to do, but we have Council meetings and Equalists to stop. We'll never have enough time."

Korra wanted to debate the situation with Mako, when she sighed in defeat, dropping her head down slowly. "But…." She began, looking at Mako with a sad look on her face. "What about you? Pro-bending is important to you too." She knew Mako had been training all his life just to win a championship game, and erase their title as 'Rookies'.

Mako nodded. "True", he said. He walked up to Korra, taking her hand into his. "But you're more important to me."

Korra smiled at him, reaching her arms around his neck as he pulled her into a tight embrace. She hesitated for a moment, but she said the one word that would make up the decision. "Okay." She pulled herself away from him slowly, as she sighed. "I guess…. I have to stop being selfish and start concentrating on my obligations", she informed him, although she couldn't suppress the sadness in her tone.

Mako shook his head. "You weren't trying to be selfish. You were just trying to be yourself for a change."

* * *

Bolin, Asami, and Tenzin anxiously awaited by the garden pavilion back at Air Temple Island, hoping that Mako and Korra would arrive soon. They had looked everywhere in Republic City for them, and yet they were nowhere to be found. The skies were dark now, and the stars began peeking through the light sheet of clouds.

"I hope Mako found Korra", Asami informed the two. "It's getting dark, and if you're in the wrong place in Republic City at night, you can get hurt."

Bolin shivered, frighteningly uttering a word. "Triads!"

Tenzin shook his head. "Now, stop assuming the worst. I'm sure Mako found Korra and is convincing her this very moment to return." His eyes wandered over to the docks, where another ship was being accepted into the port. "Maybe there in the next ship!"

Tenzin quickly ran over to the shores of Air Temple Island, followed by Asami and Bolin as they anticipated Korra and Mako to board out of the ship. With a sigh of relief, they saw Mako walking down the ramp, placing his scarf around Korra as he held her in his arms, protecting her from the chilliness of the evening.

"Korra!" Tenzin called out, as he raced over to the two. "I was so worried."

Korra bowed her head down in guilt, nodding her head slowly. "I know." She looked up at her airbending master sincerely, her face apologetic. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that."

Tenzin sighed. "I shouldn't have acted like that either."

Korra's shoulders dropped in defeat, turning her head slightly. "Look. The Fire Ferrets aren't going to be in the next tournament."

Bolin's mouth gaped open, his eyes wide as he took in the information Korra just said. "What do you mean?"

"We have more important things to do, Bolin", Mako said sternly. "I know it's upsetting, but if we're going to be taking part in a war, we have to sacrifice a few things." He tried to smile. "Hey, at least we have next year."

Bolin wanted to say something, when he also realized that what Mako said made sense. They wouldn't have any time to prepare for the tournament. They all had new responsibilities, being Team Avatar, and they had to attend to them. "Right…" he said, trying to sound cheery. He turned away so no one had to see his disappointed expression. He was looking forward to winning at least one championship. And they had been so close. Since the competition was rigged against the Wolfbats, the Fire Ferrets had a chance for a rematch against the recent team that the Wolfbats had defeated. Now, they had to drop this chance because of all the changes the Revolution created."Next year."

**Hope you enjoyed it! I have to admit, I had a hard time writing the first bit of the story with Tenzin and his children. Somehow, I had a hard time describing the details in that scene... And I made this mostly Makorra, because I don't want Irosami to outshine the main couple in the Last Airbender, as I've stated before. I hope you were also surprised too by the events in this chapter. And about Tahno... I won't say anything about whether or not he's a friend or foe, but you're definitely going to see more of him. Again, please review! I'm already loving all the helpful feedback. And I apologize if I missed any grammatical/spelling errors as well xD Don't be upset yet over the decision of Team Avatar over pro-bending. I thought it would be sensible for them to come up with the decision in this chapter because a lot is going on, but that doesn't mean things can't change... or can it? O.O Oh and before I forget... I know there's a lot of Tahnorra fans out there, but sorry, it's not happening here, even if they have countless interactions or not. It wouldn't happen since it seems obvious to TLA's style of romance that Makorra will be endgame, and I want to keep this fanfic real the best way I can. Forgive me? :(**


	4. Chapter Four: Trouble Lurks

**Hey guys! Thanks again for the reviews, and I want to go over a few things about my story. First of all, I think I was typing way too fast with all these ideas rushing through my head, so sorry if it's a bit fast paced and I have a few spelling/ grammatical errors. Second of all, a lot of people having been reviewing and PMing (yes, I got a lot of private messages), about adding more Mako/ Korra, or more Iroh/ Asami, or all these other shippings. I honestly will add more, but when the time is right in the story. I want to cover the action, the mystery, and put some light on character development as well as the issues these characters have to face. Also, this is not just Mako/ Korra and Iroh/ Asami, it's about EVERYBODY developing in their character as the stories progress. There's more issues I want to get covered and romance is not really in the Top 5, so bear with me on those parts :) Lastly, my problem is Tahno. I felt I should have added him in the story because he had such great character develpment, but I still haven't fully crafted out his role in this fanfic. I'll figure something out somehow though :) **

Mako, Bolin, and Asami sat quietly at the dinner table, sipping their cups of tea and eating their breakfast.

"Where's Korra?" Mako suddenly asked, turning to the window. The sun was already out, and everyone across the temple was already awake. Usually, Korra would've been with them by now. He was still worried about her, up until now. It was hard for all of them to adjust to the decision that they would not participate in the pro-bending tournament. It was his dream to win the championship pot during the pro-bending finals, but it was Korra's dream to just _be _a pro-bender. Even if he was crushed by the decision, he knew she felt ten times worse than everyone did. Although, even if Asami wasn't part of the team, she too was affected by this. She loved supporting her friends, and she loved pro-bending all together.

The door suddenly slid open, as Korra walked in with Tenzin, looking exhausted as ever. Mako, Bolin, and Asami gasped, staring at the young avatar's attire. She was wearing the same robes the airbender children wore, and they couldn't lie… they thought it looked funny on her. Its light, brightly colored fabrics of orange and yellow didn't suit Korra's usual style. The vivid clothing didn't match her plain looks or her ferocious personality. Korra let out a small _huff, _taking a seat beside Mako. He noted the heavy bags under her eyes. "Korra, are you okay?"

Tenzin spoke for her."She had to wake up early to begin training", Tenzin informed him. "We have another meeting with the council today, so we had to fit in as much as we could." The gang took note of the tight schedule, sighing lowly to themselves.

"_Another _meeting?" Bolin complained wearily, resting his chin against the palm of his hand.

Mako shrugged. "What did you expect, Bolin?"

Asami couldn't help but smile. "Actually…" she informed the group. "I'm excited for this meeting today." She dipped her spoon into her porridge, raising it back up as she took another bite from her food. The young heiress was oblivious to the shocked expressions of everyone else's face until she looked back up. "What?" she asked them skeptically.

"Alright, evil monster who looks exactly like Asami", Bolin began, narrowing his eyes down. "Where's the real Asami, and what have you done with her?"

Asami giggled. "I'm serious, Bolin", she informed him, as she turned to everyone else that sat at the table. "I wanted to throw a Future Industries' Gala".

Everyone's eyes widened in pleasant surprise after hearing Asami's news, as Bolin clapped his hands happily. "Ooooh", he mused. "I like parties!" He believed that the entire team needed to enjoy themselves for once—it was way better than council meetings anyway.

Mako placed his cup down, turning to Asami curiously. "Why are you having a Gala?"

"To celebrate Future Industries' success. We're working close to City Council now, and this will make the company millions. Maybe even more," Asami stated happily. She sighed. "I'm going to appoint myself as the sole owner of Future Industries and honor all the people who worked with the company while managing to _not _to be an Equalist member alongside my father." She placed her spoon down, her voice much serious and business like, in contrast to the light tone she used from before. "More importantly, we're closing deals with the Metalbending Police Force and the United Forces, so we can supply their weapons against the Equalists. Those mecha tanks, biplanes, and mines"-she shuddered, remembering the previous interaction they had with them—"will be put into good use military wise."She raised her finger in the air, as if pointing upwards, a flashy smile cracking on her face. "Oh and I almost forgot", Asami informed them. "You're all invited. The Gala will be held at the Sato mansion tomorrow night. The police force is almost done cleaning out and destroying the underground factory, so I can return home whenever." Asami tried her best not to think about the Equalist factory. It was hard to cope with the thought that her enemies had resided right below the Sato Estate.

Mako, Korra, Tenzin, and Bolin exchanged rather eager looks, except for Tenzin, who merely nodded. "Is this what you wanted to propose to the council?"

Asami nodded. "Yes. I was going to inform them of the event and invite them."

Tenzin ran his fingers down his long beard. "Hmmm…" he thought out loud. "The Council would look forward to it. They always had a taste for formal events."

"And it would bring the company commercial success", Asami said. "As well as the publicity. I need to start thinking what would be best for the company." She folded her arms on the table, leaning towards Tenzin. "Pema and the kids are invited too. And if you see Commander Bumi any time soon, tell him about the Gala."

Asami turned to everyone. "I hope you guys are excited. I'm really looking forward to it myself."

Mako chuckled. "Definitely, Asami. With your exquisite taste, who wouldn't want to show up at one of your parties?"

Asami smiled, clearly flattered by what Mako said. Suddenly, she turned over to Korra, eying the airbender. She was sighing, lazily slouching over in her seat. "Korra?" she asked. "What's wrong? You seem unusually quiet."

Korra straightened herself as she coughed, clearing her throat. She was startled by the sudden attention Asami gave her. "Me? Oh. I'm just tired." She gave Asami an apologetic smile for only half listening to her during the conversation. Her mind was still wandering around the Avatar State, as well as their cancelled pro-bending tournament.

Bolin smirked. "I bet you were tiring your butt out there, airbending a lot of practice dummies to the ground." He stood up from his seat, playfully punching and kicking in the air as if he were performing airbending moves. "I bet you were all like WOO, WOO, WOO!" He added a 'woo' every time he shot his arms or legs around. "And then the dummies were like, POW!" He slammed his fist against the palm of his hand.

Korra shook her head, her lips curving into a smile involuntarily at Bolin's re-enactment. "No, I was meditating," she told him matter-of-factly.

Bolin's eyes narrowed, as he spoke lowly. "What? You're tired because of…meditating?"

Korra's eyes suddenly widened, and she banged her hands against the table. "Hey! Meditating is the most boring thing the world invented. It makes me tired even more!"

Tenzin frowned. "Korra!"

"What?" Korra asked him a little more lightly. "I was just saying the truth."

"That is not having a peaceful mind!"

Korra gave Tenzin an apologetic smile. "Oops. Sorry." She released an irritated sigh. How could her mind be peaceful? She had so many problems, obligations, and questions floating around in her head, that peace was the _last _thing she thought about. She stood up on her feet, stretching her arms and legs. "Well… if we're going to City Hall again, I should change out of these robes." She looked down at her airbending attire with a disgusted look on her face. "Unless I want to get laughed at by a bunch of old people."

Everyone released their own share of snickers, as Korra frowned, sliding the door open as she made her way out the dinner hall.

* * *

As Asami spoke with the rest of the Council, Korra just stood by quietly, her mind wandering back into her problems. And she had so many to think about, that it would take her hours to list them all out. One, there was her Avatar state. During her meditation session with Tenzin early in the morning, Tenzin informed her of chakras, nexuses of energy which helped unlock her Avatar state. The airbender informed Korra that his father, Avatar Aang, told him the process of unblocking these chakras (in total, there were seven). The first chakra dealt with survival and was blocked by fear. Korra sighed. She feared for so much. She feared for the safety of her friends, and the chaos that thrived within Republic city thanks to the triads and the Equalists.

The second chakra dealt with pleasure, and was blocked by guilt. She remembered the people whose bending abilities were stripped from Amon. Not only they had to suffer through the emptiness that was left behind with them, but they had to deal with a hesitant and indecisive avatar who couldn't heal them as quickly as possible.

Her mind wandered over to the third chakra, which dealt with willpower and was blocked by shame. Korra couldn't help but smirk. She wasn't really ashamed about anything. One of her true qualities in her personality was willpower, so she was good in that field.

The rest of the chakras slipped out of her mind, as she had fallen asleep during the rest of the meditation session. That was partially the reason why she looked so tired coming into the dinner hall to greet her friends. What crazy lunatic would wake her up at five in the morning, besides Tenzin?

"Korra", one of the Council members addressed abruptly. Korra shot her head up, quickly snapping her head back into the conversation. "Yes?"

"How is your training going?" the chairman asked her sincerely.

"Swell", Korra informed him matter-of-factly. "Great actually."

Tenzin shook his head at Korra's lie. The Avatar was just making things harder for herself by denying her _own _issues.

The chairman nodded in approval. "That's excellent news. I'll be expecting your project to happen sooner, so that the people who lost their bending could have it restored as soon as possible."

Korra forced a smile across her face. "I won't disappoint." She tried to sound as reassuring as possible, although the hesitance in her voice was rather obvious.

The chairman sighed. "Ah…" he said with relief. "I can finally envision a better Republic City. And there's no one here to thank but the four of you."

Team Avatar bowed their heads down respectfully towards the Council, thanking them politely, as they headed their way out of City Hall. They were no longer complaining, or musing how much they were glad to be over with the meeting. The team had already been used to it after becoming a part of so many of them.

While everyone else conversed behind Korra, the young avatar turned her head towards the street. People were walking or driving, taking basic strolls or going on errands. Satomobiles drove by steadily, their car engines drowning her ears into a wave of noises. Everything in Republic City looked normal, humble, and peaceful, something Korra always craved. But knowing the truth—knowing that Equalist forces were lurking within the dark shadows of Republic City sent chills crawling up Korra's spine. She turned her head again, observing more of the surrounding instead of joining in with the conversation. Unlike Asami, she wasn't much into throwing parties or participating in formal events. The subject just didn't seem to interest her.

Suddenly, Korra's eyes widened as she saw Tahno's form leisurely walking down the street in his usual strut. Knowing the importance in talking to him about the energybending secret, she thoughtlessly began running towards him.

"Hey Korra!" Bolin yelled out. "Where ya goin'?"

Mako turned his head towards her, his expression morphing into a skeptical look.

"I'll be right back!" Korra called back in return. "I just have to…. Use the bathroom!" She sighed. When will she ever come up with a better excuse whenever she was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be?

Tahno turned the corner, and Korra quickly raced after him, the view of her group disappearing from her sight. Closing the distance between her and Tahno, she grasped his shoulder, prompting him to turn around.

"Oh", he drawled. "If it isn't the Ah-vatar". He crossed his arms, his smile growing wider as he anticipated for Korra to speak. After all, she must've had something to say to him. Based on her heavy pants, she must've run a long distance just to get to him.

"Tahno…" Korra began. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday".

"About what?" he asked her dismissively.

"What Tenzin said. You obviously picked up on the part where I had the ability to restore someone's bending and… Well… Tahno you can't tell anyone!" Korra hated the fact that she was laying all her money to trust Tahno, when based on their history; Tahno would be the last person she would want to trust.

Tahno nodded, seemingly processing everything Korra was saying to him. "Alright", he said. "I won't tell. I haven't even told anyone otherwise."

Korra titled her head in confusion, obviously in disbelief. "Why?"

Tahno smirked as he placed his arm around her shoulders, leaning his face towards hers. "Because that would draw too much attention to my…private healer." Korra rolled her eyes. _It was that voice again! _Tahno was always a flirtatious type, using his charms to extremes just to taunt someone, or get what he wanted. She pushed him away roughly, glaring at him, although this seemed to have no effect on the young man.

"Wait a minute", Korra stated. "You didn't want to tell anyone because…"

"Because I want to be the first one you heal", Tahno informed her, his face in a frown. "I'm not waiting in line to get my bending back."

"Is that why you…." Korra started.

Tahno rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't I be asking you questions", he said, rather suspiciously. "Such as, why are you waiting for so long just to heal someone?" Tahno held his arms out, as if showcasing himself to Korra. "Well…" he said. "What are you waiting for? Heal me."

Korra froze for a moment, eyes wide. Then she snapped out of her shocked gaze, shaking her head. "I can't, Tahno. I'm not risking it. You may not know it, but the technique that's required to bring your bending back is dangerous. It can destroy you and it can destroy me if I don't use it properly." Her voice was dead serious, aggravated by Tahno's rush to have him healed. She was also aggravated that she had just unintentionally answered his sarcastic question.

Tahno released a dissatisfied noise through his lips, doing another subtle hair flip. "Ugh." He was disappointed alright. She was the a_vatar. _Wasn't she supposed to know all this stuff?

_Was that all he had to say? _Korra asked herself. She had to admit, Tahno was such a complex character. It was too hard to read him, since his over-confident, haughty demeanor clouded his true character. Unless that w_as _his true character. But then that couldn't explain his personality back at the police station a good time back. Maybe over time, the bully in him returned.

"Alright, fine", Korra began. "If you don't tell anyone else that I can restore bending powers, then I'll heal you first, once I've mastered the technique".

Tahno was silent for a moment, blatantly contemplating the proposal. Then Tahno gave Korra another sordid smile. "You have a deal, Ah-vatar." He held out his hand, waiting for her to get the idea. Sighing, Korra got the hint, and she grudgingly shook his hand back. Then Tahno turned around, walking away from Korra as if he never spoke to her.

Korra let out another relieving sigh. At least she knew Tahno wouldn't tell anyone because he had his own gain from it. And knowing Tahno, he'd do anything just to get what he wanted. This reminded her of how he and the Wolfbats rigged the pro-bending match, paying off the referees to not call out any foul play from their side.

_Yup, _she thought again to herself. _Definitely for his own gain alright. _

She made her way back to her friends, who were leaning against the doors of the Satomobile, awaiting her return. When they saw her, their expressions lit up, straightening themselves from their apathetic postures. Korra could already tell they were quickly impatient when waiting for her.

"Where did you go, Korra?" Asami asked her. Korra gave Asami a lamented expression, before showcasing her disappointed face to everyone else. "I saw Tahno. And…. I told him not to tell anyone about my energybending."

Everyone's eyes widened as Tenzin stepped forward. "Well", he began. "What did he say?"

Korra folded her arms, turning her head to the side. "He said he wouldn't tell anyone as long as he'd be the first person we heal once I _can _heal again."

"Wait!" Mako yelled out suddenly. "You made a deal with… Tahno? How can you even trust him?"

Bolin nodded, agreeing with his brother. After everything Tahno did to them during the pro-bending match, and taunting them harshly, Bolin found Tahno as having the inability to be trusted. "Tahno's a nasty dude."

Korra groaned. "Look…" she began. "We don't really have a choice but to agree to this."

"So he blackmailed you", Mako said harshly. He pointed at his girlfriend. "I swear, Korra, once I get my hands on Tahno, I'm going to-"

"Calm down, Mako", Korra told him. "Everything will turn out alright. It's just a small thing to ask anyway. He can be like… our practice dummy once I finish my energybending training." Her mind wandered off again. She couldn't finish her energybending training until she had completely mastered the Avatar State. And then she would have to embark on a journey to the spirit world to talk more to Aang. _This is going to be a long process…_

"Well", Mako said, his voice down. "Alright. But keep your guard up."

Korra nodded. "I will."

With that said, everyone climbed into the satomobile, as Asami started the engine. Although, even with the cool wind blowing against her face as they drove off, her mind still couldn't help but wander over to her problems. _How am I going to get through all of this? _she asked herself.

* * *

Bumi and Lin overlooked the group of metalbenders as they finished hauling the Equalist equipment out of the water. After the incident with the mines, the officers were much more cautious, making sure that they had dismantled all the explosives that still floated about in the ocean.

"Hah!" Bumi snorted, shrugging to himself, although Lin turned to face him in alertness. His sudden noise startled her, and she quickly turned to him to wonder why he even made such a sound.

"What is it, Commander Bumi?" Lin asked him. Bumi rolled his eyes, nudging Lin playfully. "Come on…." He said in a sing song voice. "What's with the whole 'commander'? To you, I'm just Bumi."

Lin nodded. "Oh right." She turned her eyes back to the waters as they crashed against the sandy beach. Lin always hoped that when Bumi earned his title as 'commander' over the second division of the United Forces, the man would grow up. He had such a responsibility to handle on his shoulders, and yet he still found the time to act energetic and cheery. Then again, Bumi always had a way of thinking about things differently. That quality in his persona was what made him 'Bumi' from the start. She wished she had those qualities in her, but somehow she had turned into a cold, harsh woman, having a reputation and a responsibility to carry, as well as a broken romance.

Bumi growled. "What is this nonsense?" he asked Lin suddenly. "We shouldn't be watching this! We should be with our friends and families, having the times of our lives!" He frowned. "Pretty soon, I'll have to attend my duties elsewhere, so I have limited time."

Lin crossed her arms. "Well…" she began. "You can go and have fun if you want."

Bumi tilted his head in confusion. "You're not coming along?"

Lin turned to Bumi, staring at him for a moment. Then she shook her head. "Highly doubt it. I think we should keep it at a 'family reunion' for you and Tenzin's family."

Bumi stared at Lin for a moment, watching as she looked down into the sand, eyes gleaming. He thought about why she did this rather sorrowful gesture. It was either something was bothering her terribly… or….. she suddenly took interest in her feet. Bumi rubbed his index finger and thumb against his chin, thinking about the situation rather playfully. "Lin…" he began. "Do you like your feet?"

Lin's eyes shot up, and they narrowed, her smile curving into a frown. "What kind of ridiculous question is that?"

"Hmm…" Bumi thought again, tilting his head up slightly, his eyes looking towards the clear blue sky, his fingers still rubbing against his chin. "Then it's not the feet…."

"Bumi!"

"Lin, what's troubling you?" Bumi asked her sincerely. For a moment, his hilarious expression faded into a more serious one.

"When it's about Tenzin, do you really have to ask?"

Lin couldn't believe herself. She actually blurted out that her troubles still orbited around Tenzin. After so many years….

"You still have feelings for him", Bumi stated solidly.

Lin's eyes widened in shock as she began angrily flailing her arms out. "WHAT?" she shouted, enraged. "OF COURSE NOT! Why would you even think of such a silly thing?"

Bumi shrugged. "Maybe because you said it." He gave Lin a suspicious look. "Either that or…" He leaned down towards her, his expression skeptical. "_Or nothing is what is seems anymore_." His unnecessary overreacting hinted that he was still being comical. Lin sighed. "Look, Bumi…. You know how-"

"Yes," Bumi replied. He knew she would remind him of how he would always be around whenever Lin and Tenzin were together back in the old days. Tenzin would always bring Lin home, and they would eat with him, Kya, and Katara. Lin would always try to warm up against Tenzin, although Tenzin was always the calmer, serious one out of the siblings. She would punch him playfully on the shoulder and tell him to 'loosen up.' But then came the day when they grew older, and as they grew older, they grew older apart. Lin went to becoming Chief of Police, and Tenzin became a Council member. Then Pema came into the picture….

"Lin", Bumi began again. "I know you must've loved my younger brother with all your heart. But Lin… looking out for my younger brother, I was always observant of your relationship and…."He gulped, taking note of Lin's accusing expression as she waited for him to continue, crossing her arms in dissatisfaction. "You treated him more like a little, dependant brother, than a boyfriend."

Lin's eyes widened. She wanted to contradict him, but she couldn't. All those playful punches she threw at his shoulder, telling him to loosen up, and her usual tomboyish attitude…. She sounded like an older sibling to Tenzin for the matter. She shivered, comparing her punches to Bumi, who always punched Tenzin on the shoulder. Maybe that was where he got the idea from.

"You're…. right", Lin told him truthfully, although her pride made it hard for those words to escape her lips. "I guess I just wasn't appropriate to be his true love."

Bumi sighed. "Now you realize this?" he joked. "Before, you threw such a fit, that you wanted to throw Pema in jail!"

"But I didn't", Lin corrected him, raising a finger.

Bumi frowned. "Because you couldn't."

"Oh be quiet!"

Lin relaxed her fingers, which were heated into fists by Bumi's clever insults just a few moments ago. "Okay. So I guess I was selfish. Well… I'm making up for it now. I sacrificed so much for Tenzin, Pema, and their children. Their children even saved me too at one point." She remembered how the three airbending kids managed to defeat the Equalists on their own, protecting her in the process. And then she remembered how she got her bending taken away by Amon, in an effort to protect Tenzin and his family.

"And for that…" Bumi began. "I am very proud of you."

"What are you?" Lin asked Bumi. "My father?" She smirked at him, her eyes gleaming.

Bumi shook his head, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "Nope", he said casually. "I think I'm just insane."

Lin couldn't help but release a low chuckle. "For once, I'm not arguing with you."

They stood in silence again, patrolling the rest of the metalbending officers as they did their job. Suddenly, a nurse peered out from the white tent, her eyes filled with alert as she made her way over to the duo.

"Commander Bumi… Chief Lin", the nurse bowed down in respect. She pulled something out of her pocket—a small bottle with a sheet of paper rolled up inside it, sealed tight with a single cork. "I found this in the victim's jacket. It was a secret compartment beneath the fabric."

Bumi took the bottle, proceeding to unscrew it. The cork was proven to be very tight, as the commander began to struggle with the bottle, going to as much as to bang it against the side of the other tent. As Bumi went into an all out war with the bottle, Lin turned to the nurse. "What's inside the bottle?" Lin asked.

Bumi somehow made it to the other end of the beach, banging the bottle against one of the large rocks. He let out a loud grumble, seeing as how the glass didn't even get a single scratch.

"I don't know", the nurse told Lin truthfully. "I couldn't open it."

Lin and the nurse turned to Bumi, who ended up on the sand, rolling around with the bottle in his hands, as if he were tackling it down in the middle of a wrestling match. Lin turned back to the nurse, her expression filled with embarrassment as her cheeks flushed red. "I can see that", she said, trying to maintain her fierce tone of voice.

The nurse left the two to converse with themselves again, as Lin waited impatiently for Bumi to undo the cork, tapping her foot on the sand as she waited. Finally, Bumi bit his teeth into the cork, using all his might to pull it out. The cork flew upwards, Bumi's head jolting back as the bottle opened, the paper slipping out onto his hands. "I GOT IT!" he announced proudly.

"Congratulations", Lin said. "For a moment, I thought the bottle would win."

Bumi leaned towards Lin, raising up his index finger. "Almost did", he said matter-of-factly as he placed the letter in Lin's hands. Lin quickly unrolled the small piece of parchment, her eyes darting back and forth from the page. Her eyes widened in horror as she turned to Bumi.

"I'm guessing this is serious", Bumi began.

"It's a letter addressed from the Equalists to Amon", Lin began, handing the letter to Bumi. Bumi did the same as Lin, reading through the page.

Bumi's eyes widened, his mouth opening into a gasp slightly. Then he rubbed his chin again, his eyes in suspicion. "Hmmm…. This isn't good." He suddenly began cackling, laughing rather hysterically. "LET'S BURY IT AND PRETEND WE NEVER SAW THIS!"

* * *

Korra leaned against the car door, her arm hanging over it lazily. Her chin propped onto her arm, she looked out to the rundown buildings that passed by them. Telling by the state of the buildings, they were driving by a poorer part of Republic City.

"Bolin…" Asami asked, trying to sound as genuinely friendly as possible. "Was it really necessary to stop for Flamey-O's Instant Noodles?" She turned to Bolin, who was slurping his noodles out of his container eagerly, his cheeks puffed up with food, and soup dripping from the side of his mouth.

"I was getting hungry", Bolin told her truthfully, eyes narrowing. "That meeting took hours."

Mako raised his eyebrow at Bolin. "It was only one hour."

Bolin threw his hands up in the air, turning to Mako. "Well _sorry _if I have a big appetite", he said sarcastically. He went back in his seat, pulling out another container of noodles, soon after finishing his. "Hmm…" he thought out loud. "I bought another container of noodles for Pabu….Should I save it for him, or should I eat it? I'm still hungry."

"Save it for Pabu", Tenzin said. "We'll be eating soon back at the Air Temple."

Tears rolled down Bolin's eyes. "BUT I'M SO SICK OF VEGETARIAN FOOD!"

Everyone groaned as Bolin continued to whine and complain in his seat.

Asami looked around, taking in the environment as she suddenly halted the car to a stop. "I don't recognize this part of Republic City", she stated, a more clever way of stating they were lost. "Instead of wasting gas, we should ask for directions back to Yue Bay."

Mako couldn't help but plant his palm against his forehead, growling. "_Bolin,"_ he began. He turned to his brother, who proceeded to eat the rest of the noodles that he meant to save for Pabu. Turning his head, Bolin replied "What?" Some of the noodles spilled from his lips, speaking with his mouth full.

"I knew we shouldn't have made that stop."

"Sorry", Bolin said sincerely this time, as if he were a little kid trying to get out of punishment.

Asami looked around at the eerily quiet neighborhood they had stumbled upon. No one was roaming the streets as the sun began to go down. "It's getting late. We better find someone fast before we get into any trouble."

Tenzin nodded. "I agree." He turned his head in all directions, trying to find a single sign of at least a silhouette roaming around. "But… I don't see anyone."

Korra looked around, peering through every alleyway she can find. "This place looks deserted."

Mako shook his head, contradicting her. "I doubt it. I bet everyone's just inside. A better reason to believe this place is more dangerous at-"

His eyes widened, as he saw a figure in the distance on top of one of the apartment building's rooftop. Dressed in Equalist uniform, the figure swung an electrically charged bola at them—specifically Korra—as everyone gasped, ducking their heads to dodge the bola. The weapon flew directly at her, and Mako quickly dove at Korra's waist, wrapping his arms around them as he pushed himself and Korra out of the way, landing on the ground with a hard _thud. _

The bola flew right by them, wrapping around a streetlight. Blue electric streams engulfed the metalwork, as sparks began to burst into the sky. Ultimately, the streetlight began to give way, falling to the ground as the rest of the group took steps back to avoid getting crushed.

Concern filled Asami's face as she stared at the streetlight. _Something wasn't right about this weapon. _

"We have to get him!" Korra yelled at the group, watching the Equalist racing down the building. The building was indeed abandoned, with cobwebs growing in every corner, the wood rotting away and the bricks cracked from old clay. The team quickly raced up the stairs, trying to intercept the Equalist member.

Peering down a rusted hallway, Bolin shouted "There he is!"

Everyone turned their heads to see the Equalist run down a corner, and carried their feet as fast as they could to try and keep up with his pace. Tenzin raised his palm in the air, a funnel of wind shooting out from it, as he hit the Equalist successfully, his body slamming against the wall next to him.

The Equalist groaned, his body sliding onto the floor on impact. Footsteps neared him and he saw Team Avatar quickly approaching him, panting heavily as they tried to keep up with each other. Thinking quickly, he threw a rounded object towards the group, which rolled over to them, brushing against Korra's feet. The object exploded into a thick fog, blinding the team from getting to him. Coughs echoed through the empty building, as everyone struggled to see through the thick mist.

Tenzin began to airbend the fog out of the way, the air around them finally clearing as Tenzin did a set of twists and spirals with his hands. The last cloud of fog disappeared, as the group immediately continued to look around frantically.

Even as the mist cleared, disappointed expressions filled the group as they saw that what used to be where the Equalist was, was now an empty spot.

"He got away", Korra stated briefly, eyes glistening with fear. Mako stalked his way over to her, pulling her into an embrace to try and ease her fright. "We'll find him. Don't worry."

Korra melted into Mako's arms, her forehead resting against his shoulder. Even if his warmth radiated off from her, which was usually one of the best ways to soothe her, the avatar couldn't help but feel tense. After all, this was the second attempt the Equalists made to try and harm her.

"Let's get out of here", Asami informed them, looking around to make sure no more Equalist members were at their tail. She gestured them cautiously down the flight of stairs, all of them keeping watch in their surroundings as Mako held on to Korra protectively. His grip on Korra's shoulders got tighter as the darkness of the building engulfed them. Since the building was abandoned, there was no light whatsoever. Mako wanted to firebend a light for everyone, but because he was too close to Korra, he dismissed the idea, not wanting to burn her by accident.

They made their way out the building. The sky was a mix of gold, purple and blue, the sun in the horizon about to set. Stars were visible through the clouds, and the Team knew it was necessary to get home as soon as possible.

Asami stared back at the streetlight, which now lay on the ground. The metal was bent, and the ground was cracked beneath it, emphasizing the force exerted onto the streetlight when it collapsed. Knowing the electric charged bolas, they were only meant to paralyze and sustain someone, not take down an entire structure.

"Korra…" Asami began. "That bola that the Equalist threw at you... it had a higher electric charge."

Korra, who proceeded to open the car door as everyone else got in, suddenly stopped in her tracks, turning to Asami. "What do you mean?"

Asami turned to the side for a moment, trying to process her thoughts and predictions based on what she got from the streetlight. "If that bola did successfully tangle around you… the electric charge in it would've killed you on the spot."

Korra's mouth formed a large 'O' shape, as she tried to get a hold of her mind, her heart racing rapidly against her chest. The bola was inches away from her face before Mako managed to step in and rescue her. _It was so close… _Korra thought to herself. "But how…"

"I don't know", Asami told her truthfully. "These are things my father knows."

Korra bowed her head down, upset that her question forced Asami to be reminded of Hiroshi. "Oh…" she began.

"I don't get it", Asami stated to Korra. "If they were able to do that, why didn't they use higher electric charges before?"

Korra shook her head, as the two girls got into the car along with the group. "I don't know…" Korra whispered. "I don't think I want to know either."

* * *

Pema walked around the table, carrying the kettle in her hands, and pouring tea to Bumi and Lin. She remembered them knocking on the door urgently, wanting to speak with Korra and Tenzin although they were frustrated to hear that they weren't home.

"So…" Pema began. "What brings the two of you here so suddenly?"

Lin was about to speak, when the door opened, and Tenzin, Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Asami stormed in, panting. Strands of their hair were poking out, and they looked exhausted. Their clothing was also covered in chalk like dust.

Pema exchanged a worried look with Tenzin. "What happened?"

Tenzin, who was leaning against the frame of the door, trying to regain his balance, straightened himself, as he tucked his arms beneath his red cape. "An Equalist ambushed us on our way back here", he said. "Korra was nearly killed."

"And then we drove around Republic City like twenty times before finding our way back", Bolin added.

Lin, Bumi, and Pema gasped, turning their eyes towards the shaken avatar. "Are you okay?'

Korra nodded, hugging herself. "I'm fine." Although her voice shook, hinting that she wasn't.

Lin stood up, her stature hard, composed, and strong. "This is the reason why we came here." She pulled the letter that she and Bumi found back at the camp, handing it to Tenzin. "Read it."

Tenzin took the paper in his hands, his eyes darting back and forth as he read and processed every word. He looked up, eyes widening. "Oh no."

Korra walked over to Tenzin, clearly curious as of why everyone looked so upset when they read the paper. She took the paper from Tenzin, examining it for herself. Her expression morphed into a look of horror, as she looked up, her friend showing worry in their eyes.

"Korra…" Mako began. "What happened? What does it say?"

Korra's bright blue eyes began to shimmer, as if tears were about to well into them. Staying as strong as she could, she stopped herself, instead telling them what the letter said. "Even if Amon was a bender, his 'revelation' still left many of the Equalists loyal to him. After all, he didn't use any bending at all to terrorize anyone. Just his… 'special' power." She paused for a moment, before stating the main point. "Since the Equalists can no longer take my bending away because of Amon's death….. They want to end me instead."

Everyone gasped at what Korra said, as Asami stepped forward. "That's why they've been sneaking up on you."

Korra nodded. "And towards all those attempts, they were so close". Her voice shook even more. "…So close…" She thought back to the night where she was sleeping in her bed, and the Equalist had his charged glove directly at her face. And then she reminisced what happened today, how the lethally charged bola almost put her into harm as well….. just inches away from her. She couldn't help but wonder if the glove was also over charged, enough to end her life permanently. The avatar shuddered, as Lin spoke. "Korra… you have to be more careful. I say, you just stay put on Air Temple Island while the rest of us resolve this issue for you."

Korra's head snapped up, anger rising in her voice. "What?" she protested. "No! I'm not running anymore. And I'm not going to remain trapped here while you guys risk your life for me!"

Tenzin sighed. "Lin is right. We don't want to take any risks, Korra." He tried to sound as understanding and sincere as possible, but Korra felt he didn't understand at all. All her life, Korra was trapped in a camp to train in her bending skills, and came to Republic City to be free. She didn't want to be trapped now.

"I'm not going to do it", Korra told them flatly. "I have Mako, Bolin, and Asami with me. We were just caught off guard, but I'm sure we'll be more careful."

"Korra…" Tenzin began again, trying to have her reconsider.

"No!" Korra interrupted. "I'm not agreeing to anything." She glanced at Asami for a moment. "And plus, Asami's having a Gala tomorrow night. I'm going to be there."

Bumi and Lin stood up, as Bumi spoke. "I don't see the problem in that", Bumi said lightly, grinning. "We'll all be there right by your side."

Asami nodded. "And I'll double the security at the mansion so we'll be sure that you'll be safe."

Korra agreed, crossing her arms. "Everything's going to be alright…" She reassured everyone. She especially tried to reassure Mako, as he stood in the corner, clearly tensed by the sudden news from the note. His eyes never left Korra, and neither did his worried expression that he had on his face ever since they were ambushed.

"I promise", Korra stated again flatly. She ignored everyone looking upon her, as she left the dinner hall, retiring to her bedroom for the night. She slid the door shut behind her, leaning her back against the frame. Her eyes wandered to the wide open window, the curtains swaying about like a ghost. Korra growled, stomping across her room to shut it tight. _There… _she said. _I'll be fine. _

Exhausted, Korra collapsed onto her bed, pulling the covers over her shoulders. _Everything will be fine _she kept thinking to herself. Although her mind kept repeating these thoughts loudly in her head, she still wasn't convinced. Everything wasn't going to be alright.

* * *

The poor tenants residing in the less fortunate parts of Republic City shuddered in fear as a group of firebenders walked down the streets. This group of about seven mobsters was merciless, living only to reign terror and steal from innocent non-benders. They were dressed in fine, vivid outfits, with shades of red, gold, blue and purple. They wore gold necklaces, rings, and piercings, as a grin grew upon the leader's face, kneeling down to pick up a small piece of paper. "Well, well, well…" he began, a vicious tone of malevolence rising in his voice. "Will you look at this, boys."

The rest of the members leaned in, as the leader held out the sheet proudly. It was a newspaper clipping, the title printed proudly in bold.

**FUTURE INDUSTRIES PICKS UP RIGHT WHERE THEY LEFT OFF WITH A FESTIVE GALA, HOSTED BY ASAMI SATO **

"Doesn't this bring back memories?" the old leader said despicably. He turned to his younger, more mischievous and immature looking mobster members, who nodded eagerly.

"Watcha wanna do, boss?" one of them asked, his voice accented.

"I think we should visit that little heiress girl and apologize", he said, although he was clearly sarcastic. "For the little accident we did for robbing the Sato mansion." He threw the paper to the side, as the mob continued walking down the street. The unsuccessful attempt to rob the mansion years ago was one of the only failures this triad leader had, which nagged at his gut for quite awhile. Now that he had a chance, he would once again try and become successful. He thought about all the riches the Sato mansion had to offer, and a distorted grin spread across his face."Who knows… We could get ourselves a reward out of our… generosity."

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! There's a lot of tension now, and I'm letting the Triads have a role in this story also. There were some issues with them in the beginning of the series, and especially with Asami's life, so now, I want to put some light on them. And I know this is also kind of an Irosami fic, so if you're wondering why Iroh was never even mentioned in this chapter, well... I'm trying to keep him as a recurring character. That's what he seemed anyway in the Legend of Korra, and he has a big duty to the United Forces already, so I don't see how they can add him as an addition to Team Avatar. And if two pairs of main characters got into a relationship, then the story would be all fluff! In The Last Airbender, Aang and Katara were the only main characters who had mutual interest towards each other. Sokka had Suki, but she was recurring, and Zuko had Mai, but she was also recurring. I want it to be the same with the Legend of Korra, where only Mako and Korra are the only main characters who have interest toward another main character (each other). Anyway, coming up next: The Future Industries Gala. And I'm introducing an OC character. Hopefully, you guys like the character, since new seasons always brings new characters. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW GUYS! IT MAKES ME WORK FASTER! **


	5. Chapter Five: Goodbye Gala

**Hey guys! Obviously, I'm going to thank you so much for all the support! You guys are awesome! Anyway for today's chapter, I'm going to introduce the new OC character I came up with, Tao. I have to admit, she appears poorly crafted, but this is just her debut so be patient. I have a lot in store for her, although she will NOT be a main character. No siree. Never in a lifetime. I don't want an OC taking over the canon characters, because in the end, the canon characters are the true kick butters. For this chapter, I also decided to give all my shipping readers a chance to enjoy. So in the beginning this chapter will involve a lot of fluff xDDD But later, it's doomed to action and adventure and solving issues, and oh, the horror! (Just kidding)One more thing! Mako and Korra are basically ALL fluff at the moment, but that's going to change soon. Be patient everyone! No seriously, you guys be patient -.- My internet might get disconnected soon too, because I'm switching to a different service, but I'll be posting multiple chapters the minute I get back online! I don't know when its going to disconnect, so I'm trying to rush as many chapters as I can. **

Asami sat on her bed patiently, waiting for Korra to come out of her bathroom. She looked around. She had to admit, she missed her luxurious room, with her large, pure white bed that was curtained over with black bed drapes. Towards the side was her vanity set and enourmous walk in closet, and towards the door was a couch set, with a white couch and a matching glass coffee table and loveseats. She playfully removed her red heels, digging her toes into her soft white carpeting, enjoying the sensation as the material tickled her feet.

The young heiress predicted that the reporters as well as all the guests were already gathered in the ballroom, enjoying the refreshments, the music, as well as the entertainment. And they probably were waiting for them a bit more impatiently that she was.

"Korra?" Asami called out towards the bathroom. "Are you almost done?" She put her red heels back on, looking down at her attire. She was pretty sure it sufficed for such a formal occasion, with her ruby red sleeveless dress that trailed down behind her (yet slit in the middle right above her shin to give her room to walk) and a black furry shawl which extended down to her wrists and draped over her waist. It was slightly parted in the middle so the people could take a good look at the dress she wore. Her hair was in its usual style, like always.

"Yeah!" Korra called out nervously. "I'm ready." The door clicked, and Korra hesitatingly made her way into the bedroom. Asami smiled at Korra's appearance. That morning, she insisted Korra on having her maids give her a makeover, while she went out and bought something for her to wear. And she had to admit, she was proud of her choice. Korra wore a blue, long sleeved, wrap dress with white fur outlined along the hem. Her hair was down, except for her traditional hair loops still hanging over her ears. Around her shoulders was also a shawl, although it was slightly a darker shade of blue, the same white fur lining around it.

Asami thought Korra would feel more comfortable wearing something from the Water Tribes as she looked up at Korra's face, examining the work from the maids. Korra's eyes were done, her eyelashes a little more vibrant from the mascara, and a deep black shade was used for her eyelids.

"Wow…" Asami praised lightly. "You look amazing, Korra!"

Korra smiled. "Gee…. Thanks Asami." She tried to sound as reassuring as she could, but it was hard. She hardly ever wore makeup, and it had an uncomfortable feeling to her face. What Korra really wanted to do was claw her eyes out from the itch she was having on her eyelids from the makeup. The young avatar hoped she wasn't allergic to the substance whatsoever.

"Let's go?" Asami asked. "Everyone's probably waiting for us downstairs."

Korra nodded, following her out the door, as they made their way over to a large gold colored staircase, covered with a deep red rug. Below them were hundreds of people dressed elegantly in the fanciest clothing ever to exist in Republic City. Police Officers (apparently, metalbenders weren't the only task force to be honored with Future Industries' products) were dressed in their uniforms respectively as well the United Forces, their red, vibrant military jackets catching everyone's eye. Commander Bumi and General Iroh were among the United Forces soldiers, conversing with everyone from the party.

"Oooooh…" one of the girls at the party mused at the General. "Are you by any chance Fire Nation royalty?"

Another girl fluttered her eyelashes at him, propping her chin on Iroh's shoulder. "Yeah…" she giggled. "You were named after the _Great Dragon of the West _after all".

Iroh scratched the back of his head, blushing because of the girls who surrounded him. "Uh….." His eyes darted towards every direction, as more and more girls began surrounding him.

"Sorry, ladies", Commander Bumi said, pushing gently through the horde of girls. "I have to steal him for a while."

He abruptly pulled Iroh's jacket, dragging him out the crowd, as the girls released heavy sighs and complains.

"Awe, do you have to?"

"I was still talking to him!"

"BUT I LOVE HIM!"

Iroh couldn't help but smirk by the flattery he received, as Bumi chuckled, shaking his head once they were a safe distance away from the girls. "Boy, that must've been one great battle back there".

"Yup", Iroh said matter-of-factly. "Thanks for the backup, Commander." He looked up towards the railings of the stairway, his attention quickly turning to the rather intriguing person he met from before.

Korra and Asami both made their way down the stairs, as Korra searched through the crowds for Mako. Her eyes lighting up, she saw him push through a crowd of people, his hair combed back as he showed off his slick, black suit, his red scarf still dangling around his shoulders. Nearing the staircase, he and Bolin waved at the girls.

"You girls look amazing!" Bolin said happily, wearing a dark green suit in contrast to his brother. The young teenage boy insisted to bring Pabu, who nuzzled around his neck like a scarf. The critter looked up, making some short, animal noises, before falling back onto Bolin's shoulder. "He makes a great accessory, doesn't he?" Bolin cooed, scratching just below Pabu's chin.

Both Korra and Asami blushed, as Mako stood dazed at Korra's appearance. Asami sighed, recognizing his look. It reminded her of the look he gave her when he first set his eyes on her beautiful appearance (after she had hit him with her moped). She turned away, not wanting to be reminded of the past.

Mako was clearly awestruck by Korra's drastic change in looks, as she approached him, taking the hand that he politely held out to her.

Iroh cleared his throat, as he began walking up towards Asami. Bumi noticed this gesture, raising his eyebrow as he smirked. "While everyone else's eyes are being caught by you, your eye is caught by someone else." He nudged his head towards Asami as she stood by Korra.

"I was just going to say hi", Iroh told him smoothly, dismissing the thought. After all, he couldn't have those feelings for her. He just met the girl, and for some reason, they barely interacted when he first arrived at Republic City.

Before they can go anywhere the press immediately surrounded them, flashing pictures which centered on Mako and Asami. They began to ask a flurry of questions:

_Ms. Sato, how did you meet the young Fire Ferret?_

_ Is the reason you sponsored him in the pro-bending matches because you two are romantically involved?_

_ How long have you been together now? _

_ You've been together since the first pro-bending matches of last season. Do you have any plans for the future?_

_ Do you plan on sealing the deal?_

Embarrassment filled Mako and Asami's eyes, as their cheeks flushed with red. They were asking so many personal questions about their relationship, when there wasn't even a relationship to talk about anymore. They were even talking about their marriage! Mako leaned towards Asami's ear, whispering to her. "Did you tell the tabloids that…."

Asami shook her head. "No", she hissed back. "After my father turned out to be an Equalist, I was _kinda _busy." They moved away from each other, flashing the press a bright smile as if nothing was wrong.

"Well now would be the perfect time", Mako said through his teeth, nudging Asami. He turned his head to Korra, who was just watching alongside Bolin in awkwardness, crossing their arms. Based on Korra's expression, she seemed just as embarrassed as he did, but at least she wasn't angry. That still didn't change the fact that Mako felt horribly guilty—for both girls. He felt bad that he forced Asami to tell the news to the tabloids, wondering what scandals would come upon her.

Asami nodded, as she took a step forward towards the press. "Mako and I aren't in a relationship anymore. We both had our differences, and we decided to stay as close friends."

Iroh stopped in his tracks, standing within the crowd of camera people who were snapping more photos of Asami and Mako after hearing the news. The general had to admit, he was shocked. He knew somehow Asami and Mako had a connection with each other, seeing as how they expressed caring about each other when Asami kissed him goodbye in the cheek during the final battle with Amon. He assumed they were together, until the news that Korra was dating Mako instead. Iroh overlooked the situation though, seeing it being completely useless to his actual duties. He had a war to attend to, not pondering over an immature love triangle… Still, he couldn't help but remain surprised by how well the young heiress handled the situation.

Asami flinched, as more camera flashes erupted, her hearing drained by the number of voices as they shouted out more questions, this time about their break up. "That is all I am saying for tonight about the issue", Asami informed, raising her palm up politely. She nodded over to Mako, giving him the all clear to approach Korra once more. Mako smiled at Asami, before turning over to Korra, taking her hand gently in his.

"You look amazing", he said to her. Korra blushed, as she smiled. "It's the makeup actually."

Mako chuckled, shaking his head. "I have to admit, you do look better without it."

"Hey!" Asami snapped, overhearing their conversation. "Give me my moment, alright? Just because I can play a tough girl, doesn't mean I don't want to be a _normal _girl" Mako and Korra laughed along with Asami, as they, along with Bolin, walked around the ballroom together, greeting the people back as they greeted the avatar. Korra turned around to find General Iroh quickly approaching him. She crossed her arms, smirking. "Hey…." She drawled. "Its General Iroh."

The General cleared his throat. "I was just going to give my greetings to the Avatar and the heiress."

Asami nodded back at him in greeting. "It's great to see you here", she told him, her voice sweet and warm as usual. The tone was humble, yet the sound was so beautiful it made everyone fall into an enchanted daze. Iroh frowned. _How does she do that?_

"You did invite the United Forces after all", Iroh just said matter-of-factly, his voice more emotionless than he wanted. His soldierly ways made him more composed.

"Well it's great that we're all here!" Bolin announced, putting his arm around Korra and Iroh. "It's like a team reunion after facing Amon."

Korra nodded in agreement. "Yeah", she said. "True. The avatar grinned. She couldn't help but enjoy the feeling that she was a celebrity, since people in Republic City initially disliked her. It was nice to sit back and relax while enjoying an extravagant gala with her friends and allies.

"Ah, Avatar Korra", the chairman greeted, approaching the group. He held his hands out, as if he were about to give them a hug, dressed in royal blue robes that trailed down to the floor, almost if he were a king. A young girl, around Team Avatar's age with asymmetrically short reddish brown hair (just above Korra's) decorated with a headband, was tailing behind the chairman, dressed in a simple purple dress with gold trim.

"Hello, Chairman", Korra said back. "How are you enjoying the gala?"

"It's simply wonderful", the chairman commented. "The food here is endless as well as tasteful, the dancing is classy, and the decorations are extravagant! If we ever host another formal event, Ms. Sato, you'll be the first person I advise in helping to plan it."

Asami nodded. "Thank you, sir."

The chairman smiled, stepping to the side as he grabbed the young girl's shoulders gently, pushing her forward for the group to take attention to. "This is my niece, Tao."

Tao looked up to them, her expression strong and dignified, as she held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Avatar Korra." Just by looking at her, Tao spoke and moved maturely, almost too maturely for her age, and it made Team Avatar a little uncomfortable. Korra held out her hand to shake back, before pulling away. "So… you're the chairman's niece?"

"That's what he said, I recall", Tao stated flatly.

Korra raised her eyebrow quizzically. There was one thing to sound polite and classy (for instance, Asami), but Tao was trying a little _too _hard to act adult like. She was probably a year younger than Bolin!

Bolin was peeking past Korra shoulder, his green eyes directly at Tao. He didn't know if anyone else noticed it, (since no one else had a love struck look but him) but the girl was very pretty, especially since she wore little makeup, and he wouldn't lie to himself he was attracted to her. His cheeks flushed red, as Mako nudged his brother playfully. "You like her…" he said in a foreign, sing song voice. It was weird coming from his 'hard edged' brother.

Bolin nudged Mako back, speaking through his teeth. "Hey, I just think she's cute."

"You should go talk to her."

"But she's the chairman's niece!"

"I just said talk to her."

"Hey stop nudging me!"

Asami, Korra, Iroh, the chairman, and Tao turned their heads in confusion towards the brothers, causing the two to blush out of embarrassment, pulling away from each other. Suddenly, Mako pushed Bolin forward, encouraging him to speak to Tao.

Bolin was shaking. He wondered why. He usually was smoother with other girls, but the girls approached him first. This time, he was making the first move.

"H-hey!" he began, bowing subtly before holding his hand out in respect. "My name is Bolin, a member of the Fire Ferrets."

Tao stepped forward to shake Bolin's hand, tilting her head in confusion. "Fire ferrets? What's that?"

Korra, Mako, and Bolin both gaped their mouth open in shock. "You never heard of the Fire Ferrets? Do you listen to the radio?"

Tao thought to herself for a moment. Then she turned back to the group. "Oh right. Pro-bending team, I recall."

"Ding ding ding!" Bolin exclaimed joyously, returning to his cheery state. "You got it!"

Tao turned to the chairman for a moment, before frowning, laying her eyes upon the earthbender. "I don't like pro-bending."

This caused Team Avatar to have their eyes open in shock. "What?"

"But pro-bending is amazing", Asami informed her. "Have you seen a match?"

Tao shook her head. "I have not the interest to watch a time consuming sport."

Korra and Mako couldn't help but shake in anger in the back, as General Iroh noticed the situation. Something or someone was about to explode because of the frustration of the ordeal, and he had to be honest, he didn't want to be a part of it. "Well…" he began, clearing his throat, trying to sound as gentleman-like as possible. "I should be getting back with my comrades." He bowed down casually, before turning around, disappearing into the crowd of high society people.

"Pro-bending isn't time consuming!" Korra protested. She wanted to pro-bend this girl in the face as they spoke, but managed to restrain herself. "Why don't you like pro-bending?" she asked curiously.

Tao shrugged. "It's just not my thing."

The chairman laughed. "Ah, Tao! Isn't this celebration extravagant?"

"Yes, uncle."

"Aren't you having the time of your life?"

"Yes, uncle."

"Come on", the new chairman decided. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the council members. They brought their kids along too, so I'm sure you'll be entertained by your own age group."

"Yes, uncle", Tao stated flatly again, as she obediently followed the chairman in perfect poise towards the group of elders. Anyone could tell from a mile away that she was trained to walk in a 'high society' fashion ever since she could stand on her two feet. Her chin was held up high, and her hands were behind her back as if she held respective authority.

Asami, Korra, and Mako had their eyebrows slanted in a quizzical expression, crossing their arms as Mako turned to Bolin's awestruck look. "You're drooling, bro."

"Isn't she just amazing?" Bolin commented dreamily, wiping the so called 'drool' from his lips with his tux sleeve.

Korra couldn't help but chuckle, pressing her hand against her mouth, as if trying to hide it. "You like her?"

Blood rushed through Bolin's cheeks, his face turning into a bright red shade. He wanted to contradict her, but he found himself stuttering.

"Oh, come on, Bolin!" Mako began, patting his brother's back a little too roughly. "When you get the chance, talk to her!"

Bolin shrugged. "How? Most of the girls around my arm like pro-bending, so they have a reason to like me."

Asami thought to herself, placing her finger against her chin. "Hmm… maybe she likes cute, funny, adorable guys who wear fire ferrets as a clothing accessory", she inquired. Pabu raised his head for a moment, before burying his face back into Bolin's shoulder. It appeared the young animal fell back asleep.

"Doubt it", Mako stated solidly. Korra and Asami gave Mako a rather hateful glare for not encouraging his brother 'properly'. "I mean…" he began again, scratching the back of his head. "There's a good chance."

Bolin beamed, pulling his friends closer to him as he placed his arms around them. "You guys are the best! You totally brought my confidence back!" His smile got wider as he pulled away from them, gussying himself up. "So…" he began. "How do I look?"

"You look great", Korra encouraged. "Just be yourself." And she meant it. She remembered the date she had with Bolin a long time ago. Although she was always in favor of Mako, she had a genuinely good time with him.

The rest of Team Avatar gave him a thumbs up, as Bolin spotted Tao helping herself at the punch bowl. He moved past his friends, approaching Tao from behind. "Want me to get that for you?"

Alert filled the young girl's eyes, as she spun around, her hair flying. "Gah! You scared me."

Bolin cleared his throat, shrugging. "Oh…" he began apologetically. "I'm sorry. But here…" He moved up, taking the spoon and glass from Tao's hands. "I'll get that for you…"

Tao turned away, hiding the blush that started to rise in her cheeks. "Oh…. Thank you."

_He's such a gentleman… _she thought to herself. _And he looks so… adorable…_

Suddenly, she heard the sound of glass clanking together, and she quickly turned around to find Bolin struggling slightly. Pabu was awake again, and he was clinging onto Bolin's arm as he tried to get the fire ferret off his sleeve. "Pabu!"

With a splash, Pabu landed into the punch bowl, Bolin laughing nervously over at Tao who looked at him awkwardly. "Uh… sorry about that…" Some of the punch splashed out of the bowl, droplets landing onto her dress.

Tao didn't know what to say, and Bolin had a hard time reading her mind. She merely looked down at her attire, clearly dissatisfied.

_Smooth move, Bolin, _the young earthbender scolded to himself.

Tao just nodded. "It's alright. I suppose I should tell the help here to replace the punch though." She looked down at the pinkish red liquid, spotting bits of red and black hair from Pabu's fur. "Before someone gets sick."

Bolin scratched the back of his head, his cheeks flushing red. "Uh. Yeah. Umm… I'm really sorry!" Suddenly, Bolin began rambling. "I was just trying to be nice, and I wanted to get you a cup of punch, but I forgot I kinda had Pabu with me, and I didn't know Pabu would do a canon ball in the punch bowl…"

Tao's eyes widened, and for a moment, Bolin thought she looked offended by something he said. Then, she covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a giggle. Her cheeks flushed red and she grabbed her stomach, her laughs finally escaping her lips.

Bolin stood shocked for a moment. Then he too joined in her laughter, as they both quietly started laughing by the table. Then Bolin spoke. "So…." He began. "Do you want me to get you a different drink instead? I'll make sure Pabu doesn't mistake it for another swimming pool."

Tao giggled again, the sound of her joyfulness making Bolin stir with warmness inside.

"Sure", she said briefly. "I'll just get water."Tao had tried her best to be as respectful as possible. With the pressures of being part of high society, it was her duty to act mature and proper, holding her guard up every second. But with this 'Fire Ferret' earthbender, she felt her guard being put down easily.

"Tao!" the chairman called out from the group of council members. "What are you doing over there, sweetheart?"

"I'm sorry, uncle", she said flatly. She walked past Bolin without another word, as if she never spoke to him, and rejoined the crowd of people, conversing with everyone politely. Once again, her guard was up.

Bolin frowned. _Well, that was nice of her. _"Good bye to you too", he muttered, as Mako approached him again. "So…" he began. "How did it go?"

Bolin shrugged, petting Pabu's head lightly with his thumb. "It was great at first", Bolin began. "I made her laugh."

"And then…." Mako said.

"Then she left without saying anything", Bolin mumbled. "What is that girl's problem? Didn't she learn manners? Why isn't she using them on me?"

Mako smirked. "Probably because Pabu took a swim in her drink."

Bolin frowned. "Wow. You're helpful." Mako continued to snicker, as music began playing in the background.

"Oh!" Mako began, turning over to Korra, who wasn't that far from him. "They're starting the traditional Ba Sing Se waltz!" He quickly started speed-walking to Korra, turning over to Bolin slightly. "Regardless, you should ask Tao to dance."

Bolin shrugged. "I don't know… I screwed things up already, bro."

"You'll be fine!"

Mako continued over to Korra, taking her hand like a gentleman. "Would you like a dance, beautiful lady?"

"It would be my pleasure", Korra stated back, gleefully taking his hand. Mako led her to the dance floor, as Korra placed her hand on Mako's shoulder while he wrapped his arms around her waist. They began to glide across the dance floor, their eyes mesmerized towards each other. Bolin sighed. Knowing Korra, he knew they were the perfect couple. She was just amazing, and he understood why they liked each other. They were both amazing.

Bolin cleared his throat, making his way towards Tao, when suddenly he stopped, his mouth gaping open. The chairman had encouraged Tao to dance with another boy, presumable the son of one of the council members, and as expected—she obeyed. Tao sighed, putting her hand on the boy's extended palm, as he led her to the dance floor.

Bolin couldn't believe it. _That girl is one jerk! _Bolin couldn't understand how one second, she was enjoying her time with him, and then decides to dance with another. If she wanted to act mature, she might as well have at least been respectful of another's feelings.

"Come on, Bolin", Asami coaxed next to him, holding her arm out in a hook to her side. She had seen the entire thing between him and Tao, observing how Tao was dancing with someone else. And she was able to read just how lonely Bolin felt. "I don't have a partner either."She flashed him a friendly smile as Bolin looked up to her suspiciously. "Hmmm…" he thought playfully. "You should probably take me out to dinner first…"

Asami laughed, as she pulled at Bolin's sleeve, dragging him to the dance floor. They did what Mako and Korra did, swaying and gliding like everyone else.

"I'm sorry about Tao…" Asami informed Bolin. He just shrugged. "Well… I just met her. I guess I'm alright. Thanks, Asami." Asami frowned. She could tell easily that Bolin was lying. Usually he was cheery and hyperactive, and at the moment, even in her calmest state, she appeared livelier than him.

"I'll take you to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery later…." Asami offered. "All the seaweed noodles you want. I'll pay for everything."

Bolin turned away, still dancing with her, but a sad expression still on his face.

"Come on…." She continued, trying to tempt him.

Bolin sighed in defeat, turning back to Asami. He smiled, his goofy, flashy grin returning to his face. "You always know how to make a guy feel better."

Asami smirked, shrugging. "Well, you know what they always say", Asami began. "You get to a man's heart through their stomach."

Asami and Bolin continued dancing, laughing at each other's jokes like long time friends as Korra and Mako glided gently with the music, the soft, mellow tune filling the room.

* * *

"Wow", Korra began, staring right into Mako's amber eyes with her blue ones. "You're actually… really good. How did you learn it?" She examined his movements, how he moved so naturally with the song. He seemed more pro at the dance than pro-bending.

Mako chuckled, pulling Korra closer to him. "My mom and dad used to dance the Ba Sing Se waltz all the time", he informed her. "They loved dancing."

Korra nodded, his heartbreaking story about how his parents died touching her heart once more. "They must have been really good teachers."

Mako looked down, cracking a sorrowful, yet heartwarming smile. "Yeah. They were the best." He ran his finger down his red scarf for a moment, before placing them back on Korra's waist.

Moments of silence filled the two, only the sound of music filling the void. Mako, deciding to lift the emptiness of not having a conversation, continued to speak. "So Korra…" he teased. "Since when did you know how to dance?"

Korra rolled his eyes, his look of mockery clearly evident. "Asami kind of gave me lessons before-hand. I'm still brushing up on some of the stuff she taught me but…"

"You're amazing", he informed her. "Really. You move like a calm wind."

Korra blushed by what Mako said. "Thanks."

"Now…" Mako began. "What I really want to know: If you can move like that, then why are you having a hard time airbending?"

Korra frowned. "Very funny! And I can airbend!"

Mako laughed. "I know. You saved my bending through airbending, remember?"

"Oh… I remember", Korra reassured him, reminding herself of that fearful moment when Amon was about to destroy the one man she loved. "I just still have a bit of a hard time. But since I'm making small puffs of air, then that should count as having a start." Korra tried her best to reassure herself that she was capable of mastering the element with ease, although the very thought of the element made her tense. Even if she was able to airbend at least a little bit, it was still hard for her to master.

They both chuckled again, as the announcer began to speak through the microphone. "For this portion of the dance, everyone should find a different partner to do the Ba Sing Se waltz." The song changed into a slower, more emotional song. Everyone began to pull away from their partners, joining hands with a different person. They weren't gliding anymore—instead they swayed with each other, pulling their bodies close.

"Hmm…" Mako began. "Should we find different partners?" he contemplated playfully.

Korra shrugged. "I don't know. I've been disobeying the rules since I stepped foot in Republic City."

"Then we'll disobey the rules of the waltz", Mako decided, keeping his arms around Korra. Korra rested her head against his chest, as they swayed together with the tune.

* * *

Bolin moved away from Asami, spinning around to the next person. His eyes widened in shock, seeing the same short haired girl who turned away from him earlier.

"Hey…" she began, almost guiltily.

"Oh", he said, awkwardly taking her into his arms.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you earlier", Tao stated, her voice filled with regret.

"Umm…."

"Let's just dance", Tao informed him, flatly. "The music is soothing, isn't it?"

Bolin couldn't help but blush. "Yeah…" he began. "It really is, isn't it?" His cheeks continued to burn as Tao placed her cheek against his chest, although she appeared to do it without much enthusiasm. _If only he knew just how enthusiastic I really was, _Tao thought to herself sadly. "Oh, and Bolin?" she stated solidly.

"Yeah?' Bolin asked her, his voice shaking.

"I think you're one of a kind", she informed him. The young earthbender smiled. "Thanks".

* * *

Iroh was swiftly trying to dodge another starstrucked girl while he was switching since the previous girl he danced with (a complete stranger) kept asking him questions about his wealth, his lineage, and his occupation. Many girls were trying to 'accidentally' land in his arms to be his next dance partner, and when one got too close to him, he quickly sidestepped. As an alternative, he tried to get himself off the dance floor. He'd rather not waltz to a traditional dance, than dance with another creepy fan girl.

"General", the same youthful, up-town voice called out gently. Iroh turned around to find Asami smiling at him gently. "Or should I say…Iroh?" She raised her shoulders up bashfully, smiling at him. "I don't have a partner either."

"Oh", Iroh said flatly. Another girl was trying to go for him, as he quickly ignored her before she came any closer, instead stepping closer to the heiress. He held his hand out towards her, bowing down in respect. "I think we should fix that."

Asami gladly took his hand, as they began to sway along with the rest of the group. Iroh couldn't help but give a satisfied smile, resting his chin against her shoulder, as he spotted Bumi in the sidelines. The commander was giving kissy faces to the general, mocking him of his so called 'crush' over the heiress. Iroh just returned a death stare to Bumi. _I'm going to have him executed once I become Firelord. _

* * *

The music finally stopped, and everyone pulled away from their partners, clapping. Korra and Mako glanced at each other happily, as Korra wrapped her arms around his arm. They watched as Asami stood before a podium, commanders, generals, and other members of the United Forces and Police Forces falling into a single line. Chief Saikhan, Commander Bumi, and General Iroh were among these people, as Asami began to make her speech.

"I would like to thank everyone for attending tonight's gala", Asami informed everyone, her lips inches away from a microphone. "As you all know, I am taking over Future Industries, and I am proud to say that I'll be assisting all task forces technologically. My company will be supplying the Task Forces and the United Forces in weaponry, strengthening our military that is beyond limits. Hopefully, these tools will help us restore balance, and increase our odds against the Equalists."

Cheers erupted throughout the room as Commander Bumi, Chief Saikhan, and General Iroh stood up, approaching Asami as she stepped down from the podium. They began shaking hands on stage, as cameras began flashing throughout the room.

Bolin suddenly walked up to Korra and Mako, sighing. Mako shook his head, knowing that Bolin was upset yet again. "What happened now?"

"She left", Bolin muttered. "Again. Without saying goodbye. She calls me _one of a kind_, and then she leaves me like I'm '_one of a kind'_."

"Awe", Korra began, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Look, Bolin, it's alright. You just met her. I'm pretty sure you can find another girl around here. There are many beautiful women just waiting for a little 'Bolin' to show up in their life."

Bolin forced a smile on his face, trying to get himself back on his feet. Why was he so upset over a girl he just met? Perhaps, she showed small hints of interest in him, interests that he was determined to spark even more for her. Maybe he just needed to know when to give up. "That is true…" he said, turning to Korra. "I should look for someone better."

"That's the spirit!" Korra cheered on, patting Bolin on the back. Bolin and Korra began to converse over Bolin's 'next target', when Mako spotted Tao walking out of the ballroom, down into a dark hallway.

"I'll be right back", Mako informed them, pushing through the crowds of people. Korra and Bolin looked towards Mako, confused expressions filling their faces.

"Do you know where he's going?" Bolin asked Korra. She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the bathroom?"

* * *

Tao busied herself in the lady's powder room, quickly freshening up before heading back to the party. Unusually, the room was far from the ballroom, and she had no idea why she stumbled upon here, especially since her home was probably much bigger. She guessed it was because she wasn't familiar at all with the Sato estate.

Finishing up, she washed her hands under the sink, drying herself with the hand towel that hung right next to the glass mirror in front of her.

_Thump!_

Tao's eyes widened in warning as she turned her head towards the door. "Who's there?" she called out in alert.

_Thump! Thump!_

Her hands shaking, Tao instinctively went for the powder, holding the small, cotton tool in her hand. If only she knew how to fight, then this wouldn't have been so hard for her!

Hesitatingly, Tao walked into the dark hallway, trembling violently as she tried her best to be brave. Just because she wasn't a bender or she didn't have any knowledge in hand to hand combat, didn't mean she couldn't defend herself. All she needed were brains, and she had that ever since she went to the most exclusive private school in all of Republic City.

"Hey."

"Ah!" Tao cried out, spinning around. Pushing her hand forward, she slapped the powder into the intruder's face—Mako's face. A cloud of fragrant dust surrounded the firebender's head, polluting his nostrils with the scent.

"Gah!" Mako yelled in horror, the small particles of women's powder scattered on his tux, hair, and face. "What was that for?"

"Why are you following me?" Tao stated angrily. "If you didn't sneak up on me, I wouldn't have had to do that."

"Relax, will you? I just wanted to talk."

"About what?" she snapped accusingly. They stared at each other a little longer, before slowly falling into a calmer state.

"It's about Bolin", Mako began. "Look… I'm always looking out for my brother, and I don't want him to get hurt."

Tao's sharp eyebrows suddenly softened along with the rest of her expression. She turned to the side, her eyes filled with guilt. "Oh." She turned to Mako again, hesitance overcoming her. "I'm sorry…" she began. "Bolin is an adorable kid, but… I just can't."

"Can't what?" Mako questioned her again.

Tao scoffed. "Look. I have other more important things to attend to than a cheesy teenage romance!" she informed him smartly. "I have to go." With that, she raced down the hallway, disappearing into the shadows as she turned the corner.

Mako sighed wearily. _Girls, _he thought, as he tried to wipe off the rest of the powder from his face. He snarled. Even his father's scarf was partially powdered on. He turned the opposite direction, beginning to head back to the ballroom to Korra. _Bolin was right… that girl is complicated. _

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Mako's head shot up in alert, hearing Tao's piercing scream. It rang throughout all the empty hallways in spine chilling echoes, as he began running towards the chairman's niece.

_Thump! Thump!_

It was the undeniable sound of a struggle, as Mako began to run faster, his feet speeding lightly across the rugged floor.

"Let go of me!" Tao cried out, as Mako turned the corner. He froze in his tracks, eyes widening.

Standing before him, were a group of men, dressed in flashy, yet tacky clothing. Their gold jewelry glinted through the dim lighting across the mansion.

No doubt in Mako's mind, based on how the men were dressed, he knew what they were. Triads.

The man in front—presumably the leader—had Tao in his hands, a piece of cloth wrapped around her mouth to silence her. Her hands were also bonded behind her back, and she struggled stubbornly, glaring viciously at the Triad members.

"Let her go!" Mako snapped, igniting a ball of fire in both the palms of his hands.

The leader chuckled, starting his own fire at the tip of his index finger, before placing it in front of Tao's neck. "Not a smart move", he taunted lowly. "There's only one person who's going to get burned if we duel in a firebending battle", he said. He nudged his head down to Tao, her eyes wide with fear now, as she forced herself to speak through the cloth. "Her."

Mako glared back the leader, his eyes filled with rage. Sighing in defeat, he extinguished the flames, placing his palm up as he surrendered. The rest of the Triad members smiled with satisfaction, as they quickly charged for Mako.

**CLIFFHANGER. Haha... hoped you enjoyed this chapter, even if the fluff took over. Personally, I love action more than anything, but this is a gala, and there is going to be some slow dancing, and slow dancing is romantic, so why not? Honestly, if I read this, I would think the new OC sucked because she wasn't further explored in this chapter, but she will be in future chapters. I just thought Bolin needed some loving too (well she's not really giving him much loving but...). I totally support the idea that some characters would be happier if they were independent, but Bolin was practically looking for love in the beginning of the series (he thought it was Korra, but we all know where that went). So I wanted to give him a bit of a love life too. Just letting you know though, this OC will probably just be having a one time appearance I guess for the next chapter, and then no more OC until close to the end where it all goes down xD *NEXT CHAPTER* All we need are three words: ACTION ACTION ACTION. **


	6. Chapter Six: Deja Vu

Korra turned to Bolin, as Asami continued to speak on stage. "Mako's been gone a while", Korra informed him. Bolin thought to himself for a moment. "Well, he did eat a lot of steamed rice cakes…"

"Bolin!" Korra snapped.

Bolin sighed, placing his hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright. Let's go look for him."

The duo tried their best to sneak out of the crowd. Being the avatar, Korra was attracting a lot of unnecessary attention, and they were forced to hide in the shadows as they made their way out the ballroom.

It was eerily quiet now. Everyone was in one part of the mansion, leaving the rest completely untouched. Security guards were on guard outside the building towards the gates, rather than walking around within the area of the estate. This was another factor why the rest of the Sato mansion was empty.

"Mako!" Korra yelled out. "Mako?"

"Big bro, where are you?" Bolin joined in, as their heads darted in every direction.

It seemed unrealistic for Mako to go missing. When Korra initially got worried, it was only a mild nudge to her gut. Now her heart was pounding heavily against her chest. It wasn't like Mako to leave her for so long, seeing as how he was so overprotective of her before. "Do you think he got lost?" she suggested questioningly to Bolin.

Bolin shook his head. "Nope", he informed her. "When we stayed here before with Asami and Hiroshi, she gave us a grand tour on…well…._everything_".

Pabu began to stir again, leaping from Bolin's shoulder onto the ground. The small fire ferret began to sniff across the floor, walking from one door to another.

"Hey Korra", Bolin whispered to the young avatar. "I bet Pabu knows where Mako is!"

Korra, who was peeking through a different room, gave Bolin a look of disbelief, frowning in annoyance. "Seriously?"

"Pabu smells Mako _all _the time", Bolin informed her smartly. "I'm pretty sure he's familiar enough to sniff Mako from a mile away."

Korra sighed hesitantly. "Well…. Alright." Bolin and Korra quickly chased after Pabu, as Pabu turned the corner, disappearing momentarily from their sight.

_I hope Mako's okay… _Korra thought to herself, trying to dismiss the bad outcomes that came to her mind.

* * *

"What a score", the leader of the Triad began. "I recognize the both of you." He smiled slyly at Mako and Tao, whose wrists were tied together back to back as they sat in their chairs. They were glaring at him with hateful eyes that glistened in the dim lighting. The duo had been tied into a small guest room, somewhere far from the ballroom. In there, the triad members were rummaging through the drawers, picking up jewelry and other fine goods. Mako was able to recognize this place. Although many of the guestrooms had been remodeled to look more modern, this one stayed antique, with an old recorder propped onto the dusty vanity set, and an oil chandelier hanging on the ceiling.

They were the perfect hostages to a perfectly staged robbery. The leader turned to Tao. "You're the chairman's niece." He turned to Mako. "And my boys saw you running around with the Triple Threat Triads before."

Mako snarled at the leader. "And I recognize you. You're the leader of the Agni Kai Triad."

The rest of the mobsters laughed, appearing rather amused by Mako's comment, although he didn't know why. The leader laughed the loudest. "You got that right, kid."

Tao continued to struggle stubbornly, squirming a little too violently. Her nails accidently clawed into Mako's wrist, and he flinched. "Hey watch it!" he hissed.

Tao ignored him, turning her attention to the Triad members. "You won't get away with this", she said in a sharp tone.

The leader smirked, kneeling in front of Tao. "See…" he began. "The minute we managed to capture you, we already got away with it."

Tao tilted her head in confusion, wondering what the old mobster was trying to imply. Disgusted, she felt his finger slide under her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"Being the chairman's niece…" the leader began. "He'll pay a high ransom to make sure you're safe." He turned back to Mako with the same sinister look he gave Tao. "And you're the heiress's arm candy, aren't you?"

Mako rolled his eyes. "Boy…. You really haven't been reading the papers lately, haven't you?"

The leader just smirked. "I'll get a ransom off of you, too. It'll be a great reunion with young, little Sato."

Mako's expression became perplexed. _Reunion? Young, little Sato? _His eyes widened in shock, the revelation coming to him faster than a lightning bolt. "You killed Mrs. Sato during the attempted robbery! Asami's mother…." He began to struggle violently, rage burning in his eyes. "You're terrible!" He managed to figure it out somehow. It was a firebending Triad member who killed Mrs. Sato. And the leader was looking forward to meeting Asami, strongly implying that it wasn't their first meeting.

The leader smiled malevolently once more, as he gestured over towards some of his men. "Come on", he began. "Let's enjoy ourselves at the party, boys. We'll have an interesting conversation with the chairman and the heiress."

The rest of the mobsters laughed, as they exited the room.

"No!" Mako and Tao cried out desperately at the same time. Three were about to leave with them, when the leader shook his head. "No", he scolded. "You three stay here and watch the hostages."

The henchmen nodded obediently, each taking their place at the corners and the door as the rest of the men left.

Mako glowered at the door, as if the leader was still there. Then he sighed. There was no way to get himself away from the ropes, no matter how hard he tried to squirm free. Tao, on the other hand, wasn't giving up on the squirming, but her words said otherwise.

"It's over…" she said to herself. "It's over!"

Mako sighed wearily. Of course, he was used to these situations. Ever since he and Bolin got caught up with Korra, they've been in many dangerous conflicts—more severe than this. But he should have known that Tao would take things differently, since it was the daughter of a chairman, someone who probably never saw a Triad member in her life. "Calm down."

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" she stated, her voice in panic. "Oh, and I never had a chance to enjoy my life! For who I am!" She let out a frustrated scream, followed by a sorrowful wail.

Mako rolled his eyes. "Are you trying to tell me your life story?" _Now I really wish my hands weren't tied so I can cover my ears. _"Sorry to bother…. Uh… _miss…." _Even if he was introduced to Tao, he had no idea how to address her, seeing as how she had a higher position in society.

"I LIKE BOLIN!" she cried out, as if confessing to something terrible.

Mako's eyes widened, his pupils tiny in his enlarged stare, as he turned to Tao. "What?" He had an over exaggerating look of disbelief in his face, as Tao forced a nervous chuckle. Whenever she was having nervous breakdowns, such as this one, she tend to spill out whatever was in her mind. "Did I say that… out loud?"

"Loud and clear", Mako reassured her, which made her freeze in shock. Tao began to stutter, trying to find a way to explain herself. "I.. uh… well…uh…."

"You just said you liked my brother", Mako informed her. "You can't take that back."

Tao sighed in defeat. What was the point? She had already confessed that she truly was attracted to Bolin. After all, he was funny, adorable, and even if he tried to be a different person… he always ended up being himself. It was his nature. Unlike her…

"My uncle wants me to impress one of the council member's son", Tao informed him. "Hoping that one day he can take care of me in the future. The chairman always had high expectations of me, and it's the least I owe him to fulfill it."

Mako tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean 'expectations'?"

"My uncle was the one who took care of me for most of my childhood and…." Tao stopped herself from saying more, eyes widening in realization. Since when did she turn this Mako kid into her own psychologist? She scoffed, turning her head to Mako. "WAIT A MINUTE, WHY AM I TELLING YOU THESE THINGS ANYWAY?"

"Will you be quiet?" one of the Triad members scoffed at the young girl. Tao frowned again, sealing her lips together. _Once I get out of here, I'm sentencing all of you to a lifetime in prison._

Suddenly, small, squeaking noises were heard, as the door creaked open lightly. A small figure crept its way into the room, and Mako's expression lightened, immediately recognizing the animal.

Pabu. And if Pabu was here, Bolin must be close behind.

"Hey", one of the Triad members snapped. "Get that little rat out of here!" The henchman quickly charged for the small fire ferret, chasing it around the room as the small rodent evaded him easily. The man ended up crashing into many pieces of furniture, Pabu squeaking with victory as it ran all the way across the room. "Grrr…. That animal's toast!" He ignited a ball of fire in his palm, as a wide, distorted smirk crossed his face. "_Literally._"

He swung his arm forward, the flames shooting towards Pabu. Suddenly, a wall of earth rose from the ground, the ball of fire colliding with it. It extinguished on impact, leaving Pabu safe.

"If you hurt Pabu…" a sharp voice called from the doorway. "You'll have to taste my fists of fury!" Bolin emerged from the other side of the door, stepping into view. He punched another ball of rock towards the triad member, knocking him to the ground with ease. Looking up, he gasped. "Mako!" He turned his head towards the girl that was tied up behind him. "Tao?"

"Hey Bolin…" Tao said, somewhat apologetic sounding.

Before Bolin could say anything, Korra stepped into view, placing her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "Go untie Tao and Mako", Korra informed him. "I'll take care of the big shots." She glared angrily at the Triad members, as they began closing in on her.

"What's a pesky little girl like you doin' here?" one of the members asked, his accented voice annoying Korra.

"Why don't you come a little closer and find out?" Korra challenged, a confident smile appearing on her face. She slammed her fist against her palm, watching intently as the mobsters made their way towards her.

"Are you tryin' to scare us?" another Triad member warned, glaring angrily at the young avatar. Korra placed her hand on her hips. "Believe me", she said. "I don't even have to try." Korra quickly assumed a fighting stance, waiting for them to strike first. Simultaneously, all of them streamed fire from their palms towards Korra, engulfing her in a sea of flames.

"Korra!" Mako cried out, as he turned to Bolin. "Can you hurry up?"

Bolin frowned at his older brother. "My thumbs are too fat! These knots are tight…"

Mako growled, turning back to the fight scene as he tried to catch a glimpse of Korra through the fire.

The Triad members were still blasting towards Korra's direction, making sure that her form was completely charred. Suddenly, Korra emerged from the flames, bending the fire so that it wouldn't touch her sun kissed skin, and leaped stylishly towards the group. "If someone here is _trying _to do something, it's you!"

Two of the members stepped back, allowing the one in the middle to strike the first move. The Triad member smirked. "You're going to regret messing with a Triad!" He shot another blast of fire towards Korra, which she dodged by doing an elegant back flip, the hem of her dress flowing around her like waves from an ocean. Back on her feet, Korra began to charge for the firebender, sidestepping swiftly as she tried to avoid his constant attacks on her. "You're about one more blast from getting the defeat of your lifetime!" she warned him.

The mobster turned to his side, swinging a high fire kick towards the avatar. Korra ducked, the flames lighting right above her head, as she shot her fist forward, a blast of fire shooting from her knuckles. The mobster fell back onto the floor, groaning.

The other two members charged for Korra. One of them prepared another attack on her, and she glimpsed a hint of flame igniting from his knuckles. Thinking quickly, she swung her foot upward, a wall of rock rising in sync with her heel, as she shielded herself from the attack.

"Don't…"

She then shot her arm forward, the wall of rock flying over to the second Triad member, slamming him against the back wall.

"Mess…"

The last member augmented flames towards her, circling around like a funnel as the army of fire attacked Korra.

"With my…"

Korra extinguished the flames with a swing of her arm, an icicle forming on the tip of her fingers. She had managed to bend some of the molecules from the air, bringing it together to create the perfect ice spear.

"_Boyfriend!_"

She shot the sharp icicle forward, as it darted towards the last Triad member. He gulped, as his body was brought back. Shutting his eyes, expecting the shard of ice to pierce him, he instead felt his sleeve pull into his skin. Opening his eyes, he yelped. The icicle pierced his clothing, pinning his one arm against the wall.

"Whoa…" Mako said, his expression in a daze as Korra stood in the center of the room, crossing her arms proudly. _Some girl… _he thought to himself. Even if he knew Korra well enough by now, she never seized to surprise him with her smart remarks and outstanding bending abilities. He shook his head, snapping out of his trance.

The room was filled with moans, as the Triad members began to ache with pain after Korra's assault.

"Got it!" Bolin announced, undoing the ropes from Tao and Mako.

"Well, it was about time", Mako taunted, before stumbling back slightly as Korra wrapped her arms around his neck. Smiling warmly, he returned the embrace to Korra, before pulling away as they looked into each other. "That…" he began, regarding her rescuing him. "Was amazing."

Korra blushed, placing her hands on his chest. "Just doing what I'm supposed to do in my job description." They both began chuckling, before embracing once more.

Bolin was smiling at Korra and Mako, admiring how 'sweet' they were together. The three hadn't realized that one of the firebenders had slowly risen up from the ground, trying to regain his balance. Angrily the Triad member took a stance, aiming his index and middle finger directly towards Bolin.

"No!" Tao cried out, being the first person to notice him. She quickly ducked under the man's outstretched arm, securing her fingers around it, as she pushed his hand up, causing the firebender to lose his aim, just as he produced lightning. Expecting a loud noise to erupt, Tao quickly flinched, ducking under once more to cover her ears.

The lightning—which was originally supposed to hit Bolin—shot upward, colliding with the oil chandelier that hung on the ceiling.

Tao eyes widened. _Oil and fire don't go good together…_

The Triad member realized what was going to happen also, and he roughly grabbed Tao by the wrist, dragging her out of the room. Tao struggled stubbornly. "Let me go!" She was unsuccessful at her attempt to escape, as he successfully pulled her out of the room.

"Tao!" Bolin yelled out, racing for the door. _She saved my life…. And she wasn't even a fighter!_ His heart began pounding. _I knew there was something special about her!_

"Bolin look out!" Korra warned him. The chandelier exploded enourmous blasts of fire raging throughout the room. The blast sent the trio skidding across opposite directions on the floor, the entire room up in smokes.

Korra stirred, trying her best to stand up. Opening her eyes, she realized her sight was blurry… hazy even. But through the fog that clouded her vision, she saw in different corners that Mako and Bolin were knocked out cold, their idle bodies resting on the ground. "No…" she whispered weakly. Then everything turned black.

* * *

Once she had given her speech, Asami quickly stepped down from the podium, a feeling of relief washing over her. _It was finally over. _She searched through the crowds, expecting to see a supportive Korra, Mako and Bolin cheering and clapping for her. Surprisingly, she found no sign of them.

"Asami", Tenzin's voice sounded through the crowd of chattering people. Asami turned around to find the airbending master standing in front of her."Did you see Korra?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't see Mako or Bolin either."

Before they could say anything else, Lin approached them, her eyes in alert. "The chairman is looking for his niece", she began. "He said she went to look for the ladies' powder room minutes ago."

Asami's eyes began to fill with worry. "What could all of this mean?"

Before anyone could say anything, Bumi and Iroh emerged from the crowd, joining the small group.

"What's wrong?" Iroh informed everyone, taking note of their tense expressions. Asami raised her eyebrow at him. "How did you know something was wrong?"

Iroh was about to reply to her, noting her rather uncomfortable expression, when Bumi interfered. "See, Ms. Sato…" he began. "You obviously look worried, and well… General Iroh looks at you _all the time _so of course he knew something was-"

Iroh's cheeks flushed a deep red, mixed with anger and embarrassment, as he shot Bumi an intense glare. "Anyway!" he interrupted. "The chairman was looking for his niece."

Asami merely gave them a nod as she looked past Tenzin's shoulder. "Who are they?" she harshly wondered.

Everyone else turned their attention to a small group of men eating and drinking at the corner of the ballroom.

"You didn't invite them?" Lin asked.

Asami shook her head. "No."

Lin nodded, as she slowly began making her way towards the group, gesturing towards the rest of them to follow her. They obediently did so, as Lin stood in front of the men, her eyes intense, as she held out her hand. "Invitations please."

The men looked at each other for a moment. Then they began laughing out loud, without showing any proper respect as the man in front of them slapped Lin's hand. The ex Chief of Police was enraged as she held her fists forward, ready to fire a set of wires to tangle them. "I'm guessing you don't have an invitation", Lin hissed.

"Triads don't need invitations", the leader said. The group gasped at the realization of who they were.

"_I _don't invite Triads!" Asami scoffed back, as she marched forward, although Tenzin held her back by grabbing her arm gently. This didn't stop her from snapping at them. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Leave at once or I'm calling security!"

The leader began to laugh again as he turned his focus directly to Asami. "You don't know who I am?" He narrowed his eyes at her, the stare becoming more intense. "Remember? I took something very important from you a long time ago here in the Sato mansion."

Asami tilted her head in confusion for a moment. Then her eyes widened, as she gasped incredulously. Her eyes burned with hatred as she tried to walk forward again. "You…. _YOU_!"

"Asami!" Tenzin scolded once more, being able to understand quickly what the Triad had meant, and why Asami was starting to act out. "Calm down." There was a bit more of a struggle before Asami's muscles relaxed again.

"And another thing", the Triad said. "We want two million yuans by the end of the night if you want to see the chairman's daughter… and your little pro-bending pet."

This time, everyone was shocked from the unanticipated blackmail the Agni Kai Triad handed to them. "Meet us at one of the guest rooms in an hour", the leader demanded. "It's right around the corner by the Ladies' powder room. With that, the large group began to walk back down the hallway, leaving the ballroom to the rest of the high society members.

The group exchanged anxious glances, trying to figure a game plan. It was unexpected for the Triads to have Tao _and _Mako. Before that moment, no one realized how dangerous the situation had become.

"First off", Tenzin began. "How are we going to tell this to the chairman?" He was sure the chairman would die of a heart attack before finding his niece.

Lin was contemplating the entire situation, rubbing her thumb and index finger against her chin. Then she straightened herself as the whole group turned their attention to her. "We're not."

"What?" Iroh began. "That's absurd! If the chairman finds out…"

"He _won't _find out", Lin snapped at him, crossing her arms. "We're smart enough to do that, now aren't we? And plus, the chairman will get all the police forces he can summon to find her, which will disrupt the gala and create controversy." She frowned, turning to the group questioningly. "We wouldn't want that, now wouldn't we?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, partially because the look on Lin's face was demanding them to say yes.

Quickly, she turned back to Asami, who stood there silently, her stunned expression never wiping her face. "Asami. There's a safe here somewhere right?"

Asami looked at Lin and just nodded.

"Prepare the money", Lin informed her. "We'll have to follow along for now."

* * *

_Korra's mind flashed back to the same cool night. The same spring wind swept through her dark bedroom, sending icy chills up her warm, tan skin. Through the corner of her eye, the transparent white curtains billowed, the sight of the full moon shining behind it. _

_ Bzzzz_

_ Korra's eyes shot open, as the same blue electric light blinded her eyes_

_ "Korra!" someone was calling out to her. "Korra! Korra wake up!"_

"Korra!" Mako cried out another time, trying to bring his girlfriend to consciousness from the other side of the room. One of the Triad members had risen after they had all fallen unconscious and was standing right in front of her, a ball of flame in his hands. "KORRA!" No matter how weak he was, he struggled to get on his feet, racing across the room to stop the firebender from burning his girlfriend's face.

Korra's eyes shot open, as the electric glove from her memories switched back to reality—a firebender about to shoot a ball of flames at her. Quickly, she sprung to her feet, sidestepping so the flames hit the ground. On cue, Bolin ran up to the firebender, using his large build to tackle the Triad member to the floor.

"Thanks Bolin", Korra said with a sigh of relief, as she straightened herself. She wasn't smiling, beads of sweat trailing down her forehead, as her heart began pounding against her chest. The flashback with the Equalist sneaking into her room came into play, colliding with the moment right now. It was a terrible case of déjà vu.

"Korra…" Mako began. "Are you okay?" He placed his hand on her shoulder, feeling her body trembling.

"I'm fine!" Korra informed him a little too urgently, pulling away from his gasp. Seeing as how the worry still didn't wipe off his face—or hers—she tried to regain her nerve. Trying her best to erase the hints of anxiety in her voice, she tried to sound more soothing. "I'm okay, Mako."

Mako nodded, although concern was still evident in his amber eyes.

"Umm…" Bolin began. "Not to interrupt the moment or anything but… there's a chairman's niece we still need to save."

* * *

Asami looked around, flashbacks of her childhood with her mother and father playing back in her mind. She was preparing the money in a large, leather suitcase—inside her father's study which was loaded with family photos displayed in golden frames. Many of them were formal, family portraits, but the rest involved the younger version of her playing in the park with her mother and father laughing behind. A part of her wanted to reminisce these things, since her happy memories were her treasures. But after what her father did, she didn't know what the difference was between a t_reasured memory _and a _terrible reminder. _

But this situation was terrible. A terrible reminder. She was about to face the same Triads who took her loved one away and caused her father to become an Equalist.

Trying to dismiss the memory, she closed the suitcase, hauling it out the door with her. Suddenly, she stopped, her eyes intense with emotion—emotions of rage and sadness.

_No… _she thought to herself. _I'm not the same helpless girl who stood by and watched her mother die. _

Reaching back to the desk, she slid open the drawer, the clean, polished Equalist glove glinting in the dimness of the study's lamp. Making sure no one was peeking through the door way, she slipped the weapon into her shoulder bag.

"Hey", a raspy voice greeted her briefly through the door. Asami's head shot up, hoping that whoever was there, didn't see her slip the glove. General Iroh walked into the study slowly, at first unsure if he should or should not enter without her permission. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine", Asami tried to reassure him as smoothly as possible, using the friendliest tone she could summon within her at the moment. "We should go back and meet with Tenzin and the others."

She walked past him, the suitcase feeling heavier by the second, realizing she was giving the Triads exactly what they wanted… something they didn't deserve.

"Asami", Iroh began, regaining her attention as she turned her head slightly. "Bumi's right. I am observant." He turned directly towards her now, his questioning eyes burning right into her vengeful ones. "You're really bothered, and I know it." When Asami didn't say anything, he continued. "What did the Triads take from you a long time ago? I know they took something precious from you. I didn't want to ask Lin or Tenzin because I wanted to hear it from you."

Asami sighed for a moment. She was truly baffled by his sincerity, how he would want to hear her story rather than rumors from a second hand source. He earned his answer.

"They took my mother."

With that, she left the room, leaving Iroh's eyes wide with surprise.

* * *

Korra, Mako, and Bolin raced down the corridors, searching for any signs of Tao or the Agni Kai Triad. They squinted their eyes, trying to see through the dim lighting throughout the entire mansion. Their heads darted in every direction, trying to catch at least a glimpse of them.

"Ah!" Tao's voice squealed fearfully, echoing down the hallway to their right.

"Well what do you know?" Mako said, smirking. "Her wailing and screaming all the time does pay off."

Bolin sighed dreamily, as they quickened their pace. "Isn't she amazing?"

Korra and Mako both rolled their eyes as the three of them turned the corner, only to stop in their tracks.

Standing in front of them was the full Triad group, along with the one member who was holding onto Tao.

"You shouldn't come any closer", the leader began. He glared at Mako, as well as the two new companions he had. The leader had gone back to the room with the rest of his crew, expecting Tao and Mako to still be tied up (as well as the ransom he would get from the heiress). Instead, he came to a charred room, with his mobsters down, and the rest of them escaping. Luckily, he caught up with Tao and his other fellow Triad in time. "Or else the girl gets hurt."

Tao's eyes widened. _No way I'm going to let them get hurt because of me! _Desperately, she dug her teeth into the arms of the firebender who was holding her.

"YOW!" The mobster yelped, involuntarily releasing the girl. She quickly darted towards Korra and her group, as the leader angrily shot a blast of fire towards her. "Come back here!"

Bolin eagerly bended a wall of earth behind Tao, shielding her from the blast as Tao successfully made it into Bolin's arms. "Thanks", she began. "I owe you one."

Bolin smiled. "It's okay", he said. He suddenly began pushing her down the hallway. "You have to go back to the ballroom. You'll be safe there. Me and my friends will hold them off."

Tao's eyes showed hints of hesitance and indecisiveness. "Are you sure?" Bolin nodded, which she reflected into her own motions. "Alright. Be safe." She stood on her tip toes, pressing her lips gently against his cheek. Then she turned around, racing down the halls as she disappeared into the darkness.

_She kissed me! _Bolin exclaimed to himself. His cheeks flushed red, and his expression was dazed, his body slouched forward.

"Hey lover boy", Mako informed Bolin sarcastically. "Will you snap out of it? We have about seven mobsters to face. And three to seven aren't good odds for us." Irritancy rose in his tone, and Bolin couldn't help but roll his eyes. _Mako… _he thought. _You really are a hypocrite. _

"Three to seven?" Korra questioned Mako tauntingly. She took a fighting stance, her nose pointed towards the Triads. "The Avatar counts a hundred times."

Mako smirked. "Oh right", he began, finding Korra's overconfidence to be cute. "I apologize, Avatar Korra."

The Triads exchanged fearful looks at each other. _The Avatar? _

While the members showed hesitance in their attack positions, fearing the worst since they were against one of the most powerful beings in the world, the leader just smirked. "Looks like we're going to get more out of that ransom."

Bolin couldn't help but frown. "All you probably hear is _cha-ching _whenever someone talks to you." Clearly disgusted by his attitude, Bolin began to throw punches in the air, the ground beneath him starting to crack. Bits of rock from the tiled floor rose on his command, as he swiftly kicked the pieces towards the group.

The Triads were skilled fighters, evading all of Bolin's attacks as they ducked, charging straight for the trio. Pretty soon, the three were surrounded, forced to do a combo of earthbending and firebending to try to cover themselves from the army of fire that darted towards them.

"That one hundred to seven thing can show up now!" Bolin informed Korra desperately, reminding her of the odds she declared earlier.

Korra did another flip to the side, evading a blast of lightning from hitting her as she landed back smoothly onto the ground. "I'm working on it." Korra spun around, her hand outstretched as she delivered her own army of flames in one swipe, causing all the firebenders to stumble backwards, landing on the ground with a thump.

"See?" Korra stated confidently. "I told you." She turned her eyes over to the leader, who tried his best to stand again. He failed, as he fell clumsily onto the ground once more. "Huh", Korra scoffed at him. "Looks like you went bankrupt this time, didn't you?" The leader just snarled.

Footsteps began pounding down the floors of the hallway beside them, and Team Avatar quickly took a fighting stance, their eyes wide with alert.

Korra was the first to straighten herself, sighing with relief as Tenzin emerged from the shadows, followed by Lin, Asami, Bumi, and Iroh.

"Korra!" Asami greeted happily, racing over to her to give the young avatar a friendly hug. "You're safe!" She looked past her shoulder, her attention now on Mako and Bolin. "Are you guys alright?"

Mako nodded. "Yeah, we're good."

Asami gave them another friendly smile, as she turned back to the Triads. The smile wiped away from her face, and her eyes narrowed at them.

"So tell me, Ms. Sato", the leader taunted, as he rose to his feet. Seeing this, Lin quickly launched her metalbending wires towards the Triad, the cables wrapping around his body tightly in order to sustain him from moving further. The leader showed no effect, as he continued to speak to the heiress. "_How's mommy_?"

Asami's eyes widened by his cruel joke. How could he have such a selfish demeanor, being the reason for her mother's death, and then taunting her cruelly about it?

"Asami…" Mako began, approaching her slowly. He recalled one of their dates together—a romantic carriage ride around the city—where she told him about the death of her mother, and how a firebender had taken her out. He knew how much her mother meant to her, based on how whenever Asami would speak of the idea. The glint of sadness in her eyes… the loneliness that radiated from her.

"I never held a grudge against benders… especially firebenders", Asami muttered slowly, her intense green eyes burning into his. She sneakily reached into her shoulder bag, slipping the Equalist glove on from within. "But you're an exception."

With the Equalist glove now in hand, she lunged forward, attempting to electrocute the Triad member. The glove just inches away from his face, Asami felt someone roughly pull her back.

"Let go of me!" she protested, as she spun around. Mako was staring at her sadly.

"Asami", Mako began. "This isn't you." The firebender knew what he was saying. He knew exactly how Asami felt, seeing as how he and Bolin lost both their parents in a similar manner.

Asami glared intensely at Mako for a moment. She didn't want anyone's input in her decision. "He deserves it!" Asami informed him, trying to shrug him away from her. "After everything he's done!" When Mako didn't let go of her shoulder, Asami stared into him longer, her eyes burning with rage and hatred. When it still didn't manage to get Mako away from her, her expression softened. She knew what Mako was trying to imply, even if he wasn't saying anything. _Where was the Asami Sato who handled everything maturely? Who didn't let her emotions cloud her from doing the right thing? The Asami who stood by her beliefs with a solid ground?_

She glanced at the leader once more, her eyebrows wrinkling at him. "You're a terrible person."

Korra's eyes were wide with shock, glancing at how Mako and Bolin were looking at Asami sincerely and sympathetically. Unlike the rest of them, she didn't know what it was like to lose a loved one… especially a parent. The three of them had lost both their parents in a sense… it made her thankful that she still had both of them. But still… she was slightly disturbed that she couldn't relate to her own friends, while they could within each other because of that personal issue.

Slowly, Korra made her way towards Asami. Even if she couldn't relate to the young heiress, she was still her friend, and she was going to comfort her the best she could. "Asami. I'm so sorry." Asami merely looked at Korra, her mind distant.

Tenzin, Lin, Bumi, and Iroh stood in the sidelines, as Mako, Bolin, and Korra surround Asami, trying to ease her conflictions.

"Shouldn't we say anything?" Tenzin asked.

Lin shook her head. "It seems more like an issue that the group can solve within themselves. They have become the new 'Team Avatar', am I right?" She sighed wearily, stepping forward. "Come on. Let's get these Triads to security before someone from the party shows up and questions what's going on. Especially the tabloids."

Everyone nodded, as Iroh, Bumi and Tenzin secured the rest of the members, forcing them on their feet. The rest of Team Avatar did the same, with Lin guarding the leader, who was still entangled in her metal wires.

"You really ought to not mess with the leader of the Agni Kai Triads!" the leader warned her boastfully, as he gripped the wire tightly. A shot of lightning erupted from his palm, tracing the wires until it came in contact with Lin. As a result, she was electrocuted, causing the woman to collapse on the ground.

The leader of the Triad laughed triumphantly, as he began to conjure another stream of lightning through the tips of his fingers—directing it towards Mako.

Korra was the first to notice this, the blue light glowing from the streams of lightning reflecting off of her fearful eyes as it zipped through the air towards him, hair whipping violently as she followed the direction of the lightning.

"No!" she cried out desperately, involuntarily holding her arms outwards.

Mako's eyes widened, as he turned around, just as the tip of the lightning was barely two inches away from his nose.

And then it stopped.

Mako couldn't believe it. How can the lightning just freeze midair, and yet still be filled with such energy to move? Being a skilled firebender, he knew manipulating lightning like this was impossible. _What's happening? _He turned his gaze to the firebender, whose body began to tremble. His eyes were wide with fear, and his position suddenly became awkward, as he stiffly put his hand to his side, the lightning extinguishing in the air. _It was almost as if he were moving like a puppet. _

He looked around to find everyone else shocked by the sudden happening, their eyes now locking on Korra.

_Korra._

Korra's fingers were outstretched, as she began moving her hands around. The leader began to move his body according to her movements, his muscles losing control. Then Korra brought her hands down, forcing the leader onto his knees.

It took Korra a moment to realize what she did. Her eyes were wide with shock, surprised that she had the capability within her to do so. With an incredulous expression on her face, she looked down at her hands. _I… I bloodbended. _

Everyone else was left in surprise by Korra's unpredicted actions, completely speechless as Korra contemplated what she did. "I…I don't know how I did that." What did she just do? How could she find herself to perform a dark, and not to mention _illegal art? _

"Korra…" Mako began, gently approaching her.

"I was bloodbending", Korra informed them, still staring down at her hands. "How can I do that? I never even knew how to bloodbend!"

"It's alright", Mako tried to reassure her, attempting to grasp her shoulders. There was already tension rising in her voice, and he knew she was flustered by her actions. Korra stepped back, backing away into the darkness of the hallway.

Tears of guilt and regret began to build in Korra's eyes, as she began darting down the halls, refusing anyone to look at her. "I have to go."

* * *

Asami, Lin and Iroh stood outside, monitoring the officers as they locked the Agni Kai Triad in the truck. Mako and Tenzin had gone off to find out about Korra's whereabouts, and Bolin went to talk to Tao about keeping her whole kidnapping a secret.

"Are you sure none of the tabloids caught any of this?" Asami asked Lin. She wanted to make sure the gala ran smoothly, since a lot was at stake if a controversy ever came out from the press.

Lin nodded as the two of them watched the truck carry the Triad members away. "They'll get what they deserve: Locked up in prison for a lifetime."

Asami nodded, hugging herself, as the cold wind swept through them. _I guess that was fairer than having me electrocute his face. _ "Alright. I better get back to the Gala before the party guests realize their host is missing."

Lin nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll stay here to monitor the situation so I can keep you updated." She turned to the General, who was helping Lin scout the group of officers. "You better go back to the party also. After all, all your fan girls will realize you were gone, and that will cause an uproar as well."

Iroh nodded obediently. Somehow, he never wanted to contradict this woman, even if he was crowned prince of the Fire Nation. She was strong, independent, bold, and… intimidating. He also held a lot of respect for her, since her mother was good friends with his grandfather. "Yes, Chief Beifong."

"I'm not chief anymore, remember?" Lin informed him, raising her eyebrow at him. Iroh cleared his throat. "Oh. Right."

Asami and Iroh silently made their way back inside the estate, finding themselves walking down another hallway towards the ballroom.

The silence became overwhelming, up to the point where the clicking of Asami's heels proved to be deafening his ears. Iroh couldn't help but feel awkward, as the saddened heiress hung her head low. "Are you… alright?"

Asami looked up, trying to give him a reassuring look. "Yeah. I'm fine. It's over now."

Iroh nodded. "I'm glad you're alright." His stomach began to churn. It was obvious Asami wasn't alright, but, how was he going to help her or comfort her? They certainly weren't that close for either of them to be comfortable around each other during this situation.

Asami didn't notice the rather over thinking prince, her mind deep within her own thoughts. The mansion's reflection of memories upon her seemed to affect her ten times as much. She already tolerated enough with it reminding her strongly of her father. Now with the Triads, it reminded her of that same dark night when her mother's life was lost. It was as if a healed wound had been cut up once more.

"You know…" Iroh began again. "You're tough. You have a lot of backbone."

Asami nodded. "Thanks."

Iroh sighed. If there was one thing he wasn't good at, it was making heiresses feel better. He may have been raised to be a proper, humble gentleman, but he was never raised to be a psychiatrist.

As they continued walking, Asami's eyes were caught by a large painting hanging on the wall. When the darkness faded away, she realized what it was.

A portrait of her mother.

She froze in her tracks, distracted by the large painting. She was in a daze, as she simply stared at it for a long period of time. Her eyes glinted with sadness, as tears welled up in them.

"Was that your mother?" Iroh asked her. Asami just nodded. "Yeah," she whispered sadly.

Asami hugged herself for a moment, feeling a cold chill rise along with the painful memory burning back into her mind. The tears she tried to hold in for such a long time began to spill down her cheeks, as she finally collapsed to her knees in defeat. She couldn't hold it in anymore. Asami used her hands to cover her face as she sobbed into them.

Iroh had never been more alert in his life. In his gut, he knew this was more shocking than the mine explosion on his way to Republic City. "Asami…"

"They took everything from me", Asami whispered weakly. "They took my mom… they were the reasons why my dad became an Equalist." She shook her head. "They're the reasons why I feel… _alone_."

Iroh kneeled down next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Asami…" he began. "You're not alone", he reassured her.

Asami turned to Iroh, his comforting warm eyes staring into hers with genuine concern. Knowing that she was at her lowest point, and that she needed someone to soothe her, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Iroh sighed sadly, as if her emotions began to spread to him, as he placed his hands gently on her back. "It's going to be okay."

* * *

Bolin found Tao staring out into the full moon on one of the estate balconies.

"So.." he began. "You're here."

"Yup", Tao stated indifferently.

"And we're alone."

"Mhm".

"We're very lonely…"

"Want to keep stating the obvious?" Tao informed him, smirking cleverly. Knowing he was behind her, Tao spoke: "I didn't tell my uncle what happened."

Bolin sighed with relief, joining Tao as they looked onto the moon together. "That's good to hear. That way we can conceal everything that happened for tonight."

Tao nodded. "Yeah." She looked down, sighing heavily. Then she looked up, turning back to Bolin with a sincere and apologetic look. "Bolin… I'm sorry for the way I've acted towards you."

Bolin forced himself to smile. "It's okay", he reassured her. Then he tilted his head in confusion. "Why…did you act like that towards me? It kind of sucked… with you ignoring me and stuff."

Tao closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing hard. Then she spoke "My uncle raised me after my mother died of an illness. I was very young."

Bolin's eyes widened. Then he turned to the side, his look sympathetic. "Oh."

"That's not the end of the story", Tao began. "I thought I owed it all to my uncle to be the perfect niece… since he took me in and treated me like a daughter. But… he wants me to be involved with the Councilwoman's son. He wants someone who can take care of me in the future. So I tried because I didn't want to let him down." She took his hand gently into hers. "But then everything got confusing when I met you." Tao stared deep into Bolin's eyes, wanting him to see her honesty. "Even if I just met you. All the guys I've met were serious and arrogant while you were… funny and… _clumsy._"

Bolin's cheeks flushed red, as Tao reached up to kiss his cheek for a second time. "I have to go back", Tao informed him. "Clear some stuff up with my uncle. But I promise we'll meet again soon. After all, the Avatar is working close to the council."

Bolin watched as Tao made her way towards the door, back in her perfect poise. She turned her head slightly. "And Bolin?"

Bolin looked up, waiting for her to continue. "Yeah?"

"I heard you couldn't pro-bend this year", Tao informed him. Bolin shrugged. "Well… I mean… we've had a hectic schedule…"

This time, Tao beamed at him, one of the largest smiles that Bolin had seen on her face. It left him in awe.

"Don't worry", Tao reassured him. "I'll fix that."

* * *

Korra sat on the edge of the large garden fountain outside the Sato Estate, hugging her knees as she glanced into the water. Looking down, she stared at her reflection. But all she could see was the same hooded figure with the same eerie mask, staring back at her.

"No!" Korra squealed to herself, shutting her eyes, as she held onto her head tightly, burying her face into her knees. She couldn't take it. Because of her bloodbending, she had stooped herself down to his level—Amon's level.

"Korra", Tenzin's voice sounded, as he began walking towards her. "I finally found you." Korra looked up, as Tenzin sat beside her on the edge of the fountain. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing", Korra snapped, turning back to the water, listening to the soft ripples it created.

Tenzin sighed wearily. "I know you're lying, Korra." He stared down at her with a sympathetic look. "And I know you're going through a hard time…"

"I'm not just going through a _hard time_!" Korra shouted in distress, swiping her arm outwards. Tears welled up in the avatar's eyes as her breathing became unsteady, breaking into heavy sobs. "Tenzin… I'm just like _Amon. _I used bloodbending, one of the darkest arts ever created…"

"Korra", Tenzin informed her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That's not true."

"I reached into that Triad and took control of him", Korra bursted out. "A _good _avatar wouldn't have done that! They wouldn't have justified using it in the first place. But I d_id_."

"Korra, you did it for selfless reasons", Tenzin informed her. "You'll get through this, I promise."

Korra shook her head, as she looked up at Tenzin. "Amon was one of the people I feared most. And now… now I became the person I feared. Tenzin, I'm so afraid! After all this time, I'm still scared! I've become my own fear…" She wrapped her arms around Tenzin, who quickly reciprocated the embrace, trying to comfort the teenage girl the best he could. But she was trembling, and he realized that she carrying more pressure on her back, something that wasn't good for her.

"Korra…" Tenzin began. "Everyone makes mistakes." A cool breeze began to sway around them as Tenzin looked on with the wind. "Just like how air can flow wherever. There is always a path to take."

"And what if I chose the wrong path?" Korra questioned, her lips quivering.

"Then you'll find yourself back on the right one", Tenzin reassured Korra, as he pulled away from her.

Korra continued to cry. "I don't want to have that knowledge… that dark knowledge of bloodbending", she said. "It makes me feel hurt, and guilty, and…evil." She already knew how it felt like to be bloodbended. The technique even had a bad effect on her friends, especially with the whole deal with Amon and Tarrlok. What would they think of her if she was also a bloodbender.

Tenzin patted Korra's back gently. "You're not evil, Korra."

"But I am a bloodbender now", Korra informed him. "That's not going to change." She looked up at Tenzin once more with a worried look on her face. "Tenzin… what's going to happen to me? Bloodbending is illegal."

This time, it was Tenzin's turn to get worried. Sighing in defeat, he closed his eyes. "I don't know, Korra. I honestly don't know." He knew she bloodbended in defense, seeing as how Mako was about to get injured, but… bloodbending was still against the law nonetheless. "But I'll help you through everything… I promise."

He stood up heading back inside, just as another set of footsteps sounded through the door.

"Korra…" Mako's voice began. "I was so worried."

Korra stared up at Mako for a moment, her body frozen. _Mako… _Korra thought. When she saw his face, she was reminded of the incident—how the lightning would have finished him off. She realized that no matter how many times the scene would replay, she would've chosen to bloodbend if it meant that was the only way to save him. Only to suffer the consequences emotionally and physically in the end.

But when it all came down… Mako was still alive afterwards. When she saw his face now… that was all that mattered to her.

Korra sprung onto her feet, racing over to Mako as she melted into his arms, burying her face in his chest. "I was worried too."

Mako tangled his fingers into her hair, resting his chin on her shoulder. His eyes closed, he swallowed hard, trying to gulp down the anxiety and concern he felt. "You're going to be alright, Korra." He hugged her tighter when he felt her shake with fear.

But Korra knew she wasn't going to be. Not until she realized the justice in her actions, whether it was right or wrong. And the only person who could decide in that was the person who was one of the first bloodbenders to ban bloodbending all together.

_Katara. _

**So there goes the OC. I still think I could've done better, but there was a rush with this chapter, so bear with me please? Anyway, it got a little emotional through all the action since this was kind of personal to Asami and it became personal to Korra now too. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW. Constructive criticism (no flames) Internet still isn't down, so I'll post the next chapter soon hopefully... **


	7. NOTICE: Good News?

**HEY EVERYONE. THIS ISN'T A CHAPTER UPDATE. SORRY TO DISAPPOINT. BUT THIS IS A NOTICE INFORMING YOU GUYS THAT THIS STORY IS BACK ON, AND I'M GOING TO BE UPDATING EVERY TWO WEEKS OR SO. MY FANFICS ARE GOING TO BE PUT ON A CERTAIN SCHEDULE SO I CAN TAKE THE TIME TO OUTLINE IT, WRITE IT, EDIT IT, AND POST IT. SORRY FOR THE BREAK. ONCE MY INTERNET WAS BACK ON, I WAS ALREADY DOING SOME OTHER THINGS, AND THEN SCHOOL GOT IN THE WAY OF EVERYTHING. BUT THIS STORY HAS A LOT OF POTENTIAL, COMING FROM ALL MY REVIEWS, AND I HOPE I CAN REDEEM MYSELF NOW TO YOU GUYS, BY CONTINUING IT. PLEASE REVIEW OR MESSAGE ME ABOUT THIS NOTICE SO I KNOW THAT I STILL HAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE WANTING TO READ THIS AND WANTING ME TO CONTINUE! IT WON'T TAKE MUCH TIME, I PROMISE :) **

**-BOOKIENOVELS **


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